Asian technology stocks fell Thursday, tracking U.S. peers in overnight trading and highlighting global tech sector volatility. Major firms like SoftBank, SK Hynix, and Samsung saw significant declines despite analysts maintaining an optimistic outlook on AI investments.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent highlighted excess volatility in the South Korean won and stressed the necessity of a stable yen following a joint U.S.-Japan currency market intervention.
The US and Japan conducted a rare coordinated currency market intervention, with Japan buying yen to counter excessive volatility. Both nations signaled readiness for further action if needed, as Japan also cut its economic growth outlook due to high oil prices and a weaker yen.
Donald Trump announced talks with Iran for Monday, declining a deadline after halting an attack to seek a deal on the Strait of Hormuz and nuclear capabilities. Iran stated it's nearing a deal with Oman for a new route through the volatile strait, where a tanker reported an explosion.
Japan and the US conducted a joint currency intervention to strengthen the yen after it fell to a four-decade low, impacting the American government-debt market. Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed the operation, indicating readiness for further action.
Indian companies face significant cost volatility due to the prolonged West Asia conflict and emerging El Nino conditions, leading to commodity inflation, rising freight charges, and exchange rate instability. This forces price hikes, squeezing margins, and raising concerns about a potential hit to discretionary consumer demand.
The U.S.-Iran war has driven massive short-term gains in the energy sector, with ExxonMobil and Chevron reporting significant quarterly profit surges. However, experts warn that holding onto these gains for too long could be a mistake, as oil prices are volatile and driven by geopolitics rather than long-term fundamentals.
China's CXMT IPO and reported development of deep-ultraviolet lithography tools caused global AI-linked stock drops, particularly for chipmakers like Nvidia, SK Hynix, and Samsung. While CXMT's DRAM chips are complementary to GPUs, China's DUV tools pose a long-term challenge to ASML and potentially Nvidia, leading to significant market jitters.
Goldman Sachs' equities trading business drove significant growth in Q2, with a 72% revenue surge to $7.42 billion, outperforming expectations amid market volatility. Strategic investments and a shift in the Global Banking & Markets group contributed to the success.
Wall Street ended July with mixed results, as the Dow snapped a losing streak while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq posted monthly losses. Concerns over inflation and bond yields, forced selling in AI stocks, and varied Big Tech earnings drove market volatility.
CME Group launches 55 standard and 22 Micro single-stock futures for heavily traded US companies, aiming to capitalize on modern market dynamics shaped by crypto, commission-free trading, and extended-hours activity.
Chinese tech investors are receiving stern warnings against using leverage and blindly chasing hot topics after the US-based AI hedge fund Situational Awareness collapsed, offloading billions in tech shares at a steep discount due to AI stock volatility and unmet collateral demands.
XRP trades at $1.06, down 2.9% in 24 hours, with high derivatives open interest ($2.43B) outpacing spot volume ($361M), making the market fragile. Bitcoin's direction post-Fed meeting will heavily influence XRP's outcome, with key support at $1.05 and $1.00.
UBS posts $2.8B Q2 net profit, in line with forecasts, with CEO Sergio Ermotti cautioning on geopolitical volatility while highlighting strong business momentum and a 'vibrant' IPO market.
South Korea's Financial Services Commission (FSC) Chairman Lee Eog-weon apologized for failing to meet public expectations amid extreme market volatility, exacerbated by single-stock leveraged ETFs. The FSC announced measures to stabilize the market, including a hike in minimum cash deposits for ETF investments and potential caps on ETF investments within individual portfolios.
South Korea's finance ministry considers capping single-stock leveraged ETFs at 20% of retail investors' portfolios to reduce stock market volatility.
J.P. Morgan Asset Management reports AI-themed ETFs are a top 5 theme by assets under management, despite Q2 volatility, with ETFs attracting more inflows than mutual funds due to tax benefits.
Scientists warn that the current El Nino event, though a "prelude," already exhibits extreme destructive power, potentially rivalling the 1997-98 super El Nino. The National Marine Environmental Forecasting Centre's chief forecaster, Jiang Hua, highlights unusually warm water anomalies in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, signaling a perilous future.
Southwest Airlines chartered a ship to transport 12.6 million gallons of jet fuel from Texas to California in May, utilizing a Jones Act waiver, due to high prices and supply concerns. The move highlights the volatility in fuel markets, exacerbated by geopolitical tensions and impacting airline expenses.
Bitcoin dropped below $65,000 to three-day lows as escalating US-Iran tensions caused US stocks to slide and oil prices to rally. Traders offered diverging short-term outlooks for BTC, while rising inflation expectations and a higher probability of a Federal Reserve interest rate hike added to market strain.
Australia's car market is being reshaped by surging Chinese EV sales, while US stocks face volatility from tech spending concerns and rising oil prices due to Middle East conflicts. Australian small businesses are under pressure, and the US has imposed new tariffs on Australian exports, adding to economic uncertainty.
Options traders are monitoring S&P 500 levels, particularly around 7,500, to gauge institutional positioning and potential market volatility. A shift to 'negative gamma' could intensify downward moves, with a fall below SPY 740 heightening sell-off risk.
The Reserve Bank of India was a net seller of $6.1 billion in the foreign exchange market in May, intervening amidst global market volatility and geopolitical tensions. Despite external uncertainties, India's economy remains steady with improving foreign investment inflows and comfortable foreign exchange reserves.
Indonesia's Investment Minister Rosan Roeslani stated the country is building a more credible capital market, responding to MSCI's warning about opaque shareholding structures and trading. Authorities have tightened transparency rules, including public disclosure of 1%+ stakes and plans to increase the minimum free-float threshold to 15%.
