Asian Currencies Stay Range-Bound as Investors Eye China Data, RBNZ Outlook and U.S.-Iran Ceasefire 
Oil Prices Rebound as Strait of Hormuz Tensions Return After Ship Attack Near Oman 
Gold Prices Fall Below $4,000 as Strong Dollar, Fed Rate Hike Bets Weigh on Bullion 
South Korea’s KOSPI Plunges as Apple Price Hikes and OpenAI IPO Delay Shake AI Chip Stocks 
S&P Affirms Brazil’s BB Credit Rating with Stable Outlook Amid Fiscal Challenges 
SpaceX Eyes Starlink Mobile Phone Service to Challenge Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile 
China Factory PMI Seen Returning to Growth in June as AI Export Demand Supports Economy 
Asian Stocks Sink as Apple Price Hikes Spark AI Valuation Fears, South Korea and Japan Lead Selloff 
US Dollar Slips After PCE Inflation Data as Fed Rate Hike Expectations Stay Elevated 
Asian Currencies Trade Mixed as Yen Hovers Near 40-Year Low, Dollar Holds Firm on Fed Outlook 
Gold Price Ends Lower for Fourth Week Despite Rebound as Fed Rate Hike Bets Strengthen 
World Bank Approves $1.1 Billion Emergency Funding for Bangladesh Amid Food and Energy Price Pressures 
Economic pessimism has set in – but there are reasons for Australians to be hopeful 
Oil Prices Rise as US-Iran Tensions Threaten Strait of Hormuz Oil Shipments 
Wall Street Ends Mixed as Micron Surges, Apple Drops After Price Hikes 
Asian stocks showed mixed performance in light trading Thursday, with several markets closed for the Lunar New Year. The U.S. dollar remained steady after the Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged, signaling no rush to cut them.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell reiterated that while the economy remains strong, it is not overheating. However, uncertainty looms over U.S. trade policies, with potential new tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China set for Saturday.
On Wall Street, major tech earnings were mixed. Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) exceeded revenue expectations, but Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) missed profit margin estimates. Meta (NASDAQ: META) provided a weaker-than-expected first-quarter revenue forecast, while Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) reports earnings later Thursday. The results had little impact on concerns about Chinese AI startup DeepSeek challenging U.S. dominance in artificial intelligence, which had sparked a global tech selloff earlier in the week.
U.S. stock indexes closed slightly lower Wednesday, with tech dragging down the S&P 500 by 0.5%. However, futures pointed to a 0.4% rebound. Australia's benchmark index rose 0.5%, while Japan's Nikkei remained flat.
The U.S. dollar index held at 107.89, with the euro at $1.0420 ahead of the European Central Bank's expected rate cut. The yen strengthened 0.4% to 154.55 per dollar before a speech from Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Ryozo Himino.
Oil prices edged higher after U.S. crude closed at its lowest level this year. WTI crude rose 0.3% to $72.84 per barrel, while Brent crude added 0.2% to $76.73, with markets watching Trump’s potential tariffs on Canada and Mexico, key U.S. oil suppliers.
