Oil Prices Slide Nearly 3% as U.S.-Iran Talks Ease Geopolitical Tensions 
EU Recovery Fund Faces Bottlenecks Despite Driving Digital and Green Projects 
Oil Prices Steady as Markets Weigh U.S.-Iran Talks, Dollar Strength Caps Gains 
Japan Finance Minister Defends PM Takaichi’s Remarks on Weak Yen Benefits 
Dollar Holds Firm as Strong U.S. Data, Fed Expectations and Global Central Bank Moves Shape Markets 
U.S. Stock Futures Slip as Markets Brace for Big Tech Earnings and Key Data 
India Budget 2025 Highlights Manufacturing Push but Falls Short of Market Expectations 
China and Uruguay Strengthen Strategic Partnership Amid Shifting Global Order 
UK Employers Plan Moderate Pay Rises as Inflation Pressures Ease but Persist 
JPMorgan Lifts Gold Price Forecast to $6,300 by End-2026 on Strong Central Bank and Investor Demand 
U.S. Stock Futures Rise as Investors Eye Big Tech Earnings and AI Momentum 
Trump Announces U.S.–India Trade Deal Cutting Tariffs, Boosting Markets and Energy Ties 
Asian Currencies Strengthen as Indian Rupee and Australian Dollar Rally 
South Korea Inflation Hits Five-Month Low as CPI Reaches Central Bank Target 
IMF Forecasts Global Inflation Decline as Growth Remains Resilient 
Asian equities mostly drifted lower on Thursday as traders weighed a fragile Israel-Iran ceasefire against the fast-approaching July 9 U.S. tariff deadline. Profit-taking and caution overshadowed Wall Street’s recent strength, even as tech optimism lifted Japanese stocks.
South Korea’s KOSPI led regional losses, tumbling 2.2% after a sharp month-long advance of nearly 13%. The pullback came as investors locked in gains near a four-year high. Mainland Chinese markets also softened: the Shanghai Composite dipped 0.1% and the CSI 300 shed 0.2%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slid 0.5%, while Australia’s ASX 200 slipped 0.2%. Singapore’s Straits Times Index was little changed, and futures tracking India’s Nifty 50 held flat.
Risk appetite remained subdued despite a tentative truce between Israel and Iran, brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump, that helped ease supply-chain fears. Market focus has now shifted to potential retaliatory tariffs if trade talks fail to progress before the deadline, a scenario that could sap Asia’s export momentum.
Adding to uncertainty, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told Congress that rate cuts will wait until officials see how tariffs affect inflation, warning that levies could drive prices higher than a simple one-off increase. His remarks reinforced a cautious tone across global markets, leaving U.S. stock-index futures flat during Asian hours.
Japan bucked the region’s downturn. The Nikkei 225 jumped 1% to a four-month peak as chip-related heavyweights tracked Nvidia’s overnight record close. Advantest climbed 3%, Tokyo Electron gained 2.6%, and SoftBank Group rallied 4.2%, pushing the broader TOPIX up 0.3%. Japan’s chief trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa vowed to keep negotiating with Washington, stressing that Tokyo will not accept a 25% tariff on autos.
