Asian Stocks Fall as Surging Bond Yields Rattle Markets 
Soybean Futures Slip as Traders Await Trump-Xi Trade Signals 
U.S. Dollar Hits Two-Month High as Oil, Treasury Yields Surge 
Japanese Bank Stocks Surge as Bond Yields Fuel Rate Hike Bets 
Wall Street Falls as Treasury Yields Surge, Oil Rebounds on Iran Tensions 
Australia Unemployment Hits Five-Year High Despite Strong Jobs Growth 
Oil Prices Ease as Iran Tensions Clash With Diplomacy Hopes 
Japan Private-Sector Growth Slows as Domestic Demand Weakens 
US, China Extend Trade Truce to Jan. 10 Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit 
Gold Holds Near $4,275 as Rising Treasury Yields Fuel Fed Rate Hike Bets 
European Stocks Fall as Bond Yields and Geopolitical Risks Weigh 
Mexico-US Trade Talks Delayed to October as Tariff Negotiations Continue 
Fed Unveils Stablecoin Rules Under GENIUS Act 
Dollar Holds Near Two-Month High as Yen Approaches 160 
Russian Envoy Dmitriev Heads to US for Ukraine Talks 
US 10-Year Treasury Yield at 6% Emerges as New Market Risk Threshold 
China’s ‘Lipstick King’ Says AI Won’t Replace Livestream Hosts 
Add as a preferred source on Google
Global financial markets gained momentum in early Asian trading on Thursday, fueled by growing hopes of a diplomatic resolution between the United States and Iran, alongside a strong batch of corporate earnings from Wall Street. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan climbed 0.3%, marking its third straight day of gains, while Japan's Nikkei surged 1.5%. S&P 500 e-mini futures edged 0.1% higher heading into the session.
The positive sentiment followed a strong overnight session on Wall Street, where the S&P 500 rose 0.8% and the Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.6%. Impressive quarterly results from Bank of America and Morgan Stanley helped push both indexes to fresh record highs. With roughly 6% of S&P 500 companies having reported so far, approximately 84% have surpassed analyst forecasts — a promising start to the earnings season.
Analysts at Goldman Sachs expressed continued confidence in emerging market equities, citing expectations of robust underlying profit growth. They noted that earnings across the region would likely be supported by sustained artificial intelligence demand, which they believe remains largely shielded from the broader impact of rising oil prices.
Investors are also closely watching key economic releases, including Australian employment figures and China's GDP data. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), a cornerstone of the global AI supply chain, is expected to report a 50% jump in quarterly net profit, driven by soaring demand for its cutting-edge chips.
In commodities, Brent crude dipped 0.4% to $94.55 per barrel following reports that Iran may be open to allowing vessels to pass freely through the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz as part of ongoing U.S. negotiations. Gold recovered 0.8% to $4,829.24. In the cryptocurrency space, Bitcoin held steady at $74,832.83, while Ether slipped 0.1% to $2,360.71.
