Global Markets:
- Asian Stock Markets : Nikkei up 0.89%, Shanghai Composite up 1.00%, Hang Seng up 0.64% ASX up 0.16%
- Commodities : Gold at $3,396.72 (0.42%), Silver at $38.178 (0.53%), Brent Oil at $65.91 (0.09%), WTI Oil at $62.11 (0.21%)
- Rates : US 10-year yield at 4.307, UK 10-year yield at 4.6960, Germany 10-year yield at 2.7787
News & Data:
- (USD) Core Retail Sales m/m 0.3% to 0.3% expected
- (USD) Retail Sales m/m 0.5% to 0.6% expected
Markets Update:
Asian stock markets traded mostly higher on Monday, buoyed by optimism over potential progress in ending the prolonged Russia-Ukraine war. U.S. President Donald Trump indicated that discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin had “largely agreed” on land transfers and security guarantees for Ukraine. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio added that a cease-fire “is not off the table,” fueling expectations of improved global trade and market stability.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 slipped 3.80 points or 0.04 percent to 8,934.80, despite touching a record 8,960.90 earlier. Weakness in mining, energy, and tech weighed on gains, while banks provided some support, with National Australia Bank advancing nearly 2 percent. Shares in DigiCo Infrastructure REIT and oOh!media plunged about 10 percent each on earnings misses.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 climbed 379.53 points or 0.87 percent to 43,757.84, hitting a fresh high. Gains were driven by automakers such as Toyota and Honda, and retailers like Isetan Mitsukoshi and Suzuki Motor. However, losses in financial and tech stocks, including Sumitomo Mitsui and Tokyo Electron, capped momentum.
Elsewhere, markets in China, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Malaysia, and Taiwan rose modestly, while Singapore, South Korea, and Indonesia also advanced.
On Wall Street Friday, the Dow gained 0.1 percent, but the S&P 500 fell 0.3 percent and the Nasdaq lost 0.4 percent. European markets were mixed. Crude oil slipped nearly 2 percent, with WTI closing at $62.76 a barrel.
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