Asian Stocks Slip Ahead of Fed Decision as China Deflation Concerns Deepen 
Wall Street Futures Dip as Broadcom Slides, Tech Weighed Down Despite Dovish Fed Signals 
Fed Near Neutral Signals Caution Ahead, Shifting Focus to Fixed Income in 2026 
Ireland Limits Planned Trade Ban on Israeli Settlements to Goods Only 
Asian Currencies Steady as Fed Delivers Hawkish Rate Cut; Aussie and Rupee Under Pressure 
Oil Prices Rebound in Asia as Venezuela Sanctions Risks Offset Ukraine Peace Hopes 
Hong Kong Cuts Base Rate as HKMA Follows U.S. Federal Reserve Move 
Asian Stocks Rally as Tech Rebounds, China Lags on Nvidia Competition Concerns 
Gold Prices Hold Firm as Markets Await Fed Rate Cut; Silver Surges to Record High 
Russia Stocks End Flat as Energy and Retail Shares Show Mixed Performance 
Mexico Moves to Increase Tariffs on Asian Imports to Protect Domestic Industries 
Brazil Holds Selic Rate at 15% as Inflation Expectations Stay Elevated 
Asian Stocks Slip as Oracle Earnings Miss Sparks AI Profitability Concerns 
U.S. Dollar Slides for Third Straight Week as Rate Cut Expectations Boost Euro and Pound 
Australia’s Labour Market Weakens as November Employment Drops Sharply 
S&P 500 Slides as AI Chip Stocks Tumble, Cooling Tech Rally 
Asian stocks climbed on Tuesday, with technology shares extending gains alongside U.S. peers, fueled by ongoing optimism over artificial intelligence (AI). Japanese markets outperformed regional peers, hitting record highs after the election of a fiscally dovish prime ministerial candidate eased expectations for further interest rate hikes by the Bank of Japan (BOJ). However, overall trading volumes were subdued due to holidays in China, Hong Kong, and South Korea.
The upbeat sentiment across Asia followed Wall Street’s record-setting session on Monday, where chipmakers led a strong rally. Still, S&P 500 Futures edged down 0.1% in Asian trading, signaling a potential pause amid lingering concerns over a possible U.S. government shutdown. Global investor confidence was also tempered by political turmoil in France and caution ahead of speeches from Federal Reserve officials, including Chair Jerome Powell, later this week.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 surged up to 1% to a historic high of 48,544.0 points, while the TOPIX touched 3,248.39 points before easing slightly. Gains were driven by industrial and semiconductor stocks, with the market cheering the election of Sanae Takaichi as leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Takaichi, set to become Japan’s first female prime minister, is known for her expansionary fiscal stance and opposition to BOJ rate hikes. Her policies are expected to boost spending on manufacturing and defense, though uncertainty remains about how additional fiscal programs will be financed.
Asian tech stocks were another bright spot. Chipmakers surged after AMD (NASDAQ:AMD) soared nearly 24% on news it would supply AI chips to OpenAI, boosting expectations of sustained AI-related demand. Taiwan’s TSMC (TW:2330) gained 2.5%, Japan’s Advantest Corp. (TYO:6857) rose 2.2%, Tokyo Electron added 1%, and Renesas Electronics (TYO:6723) jumped 4.6%.
Elsewhere, Singapore’s STI rose 0.9%, while Australia’s ASX 200 slipped 0.3% as ASX Ltd. (ASX:ASX) fell nearly 2% following Cboe’s approval to operate as a securities listing market. India’s Nifty 50 futures signaled a positive open after surpassing 25,000 points on Monday.
