Oil Prices Rebound as U.S.-Venezuela Tensions Offset Oversupply Concerns 
Asian Stocks Rally as Tech Rebounds, China Lags on Nvidia Competition Concerns 
Australia’s Labour Market Weakens as November Employment Drops Sharply 
Indonesia–U.S. Tariff Talks Near Completion as Both Sides Push for Year-End Deal 
Gold Prices Dip as Markets Absorb Dovish Fed Outlook; Silver Eases After Record High 
Ireland Limits Planned Trade Ban on Israeli Settlements to Goods Only 
U.S. Stock Futures Mixed as Tech and AI Stocks Face Pressure Ahead of CPI Data 
Fed Near Neutral Signals Caution Ahead, Shifting Focus to Fixed Income in 2026 
China’s Small Bank Consolidation Struggles as Profits Fall and Risks Persist 
Asian Stocks Slide as Central Bank Decisions and Key Data Keep Investors Cautious 
China’s November Economic Data Signals Slowing Industrial Output and Weak Consumer Demand 
Asian Currencies Steady as Fed Delivers Hawkish Rate Cut; Aussie and Rupee Under Pressure 
Asian Currencies Hold Steady as Indian Rupee Slides to Record Low on Fed Outlook 
Russia Stocks End Flat as Energy and Retail Shares Show Mixed Performance 
Modi and Trump Hold Phone Call as India Seeks Relief From U.S. Tariffs Over Russian Oil Trade 
Japanese stocks plunged on Friday, hitting their lowest levels since August as market fears over a global recession intensified following U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff announcement. The Nikkei 225 fell 2.6% to 33,818.18 as of 0230 GMT, putting it on track for a 9% weekly decline—its sharpest since March 2020. The broader Topix index dropped 3.5% to 2,477.96, eyeing a 10% weekly loss.
The selloff followed a brutal session on Wall Street, where the S&P 500 saw one of its worst single-day losses in years, wiping out $2.4 trillion in market value. Investor sentiment soured rapidly after Trump introduced the steepest U.S. trade barriers in over a century, pushing traders toward safe-haven assets like the Japanese yen—adding further pressure on export-heavy Japanese equities.
Hiroyuki Ueno, chief strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management, noted that investors shifted to a risk-off mode, aggressively selling holdings. On Friday, 28 of the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s 33 industry sub-indexes were in the red, with bank stocks taking the hardest hit. The banking sector fell 10% in a single session and is heading for a record 20% weekly drop.
Bank shares, once favored on expectations of rising interest rates, are now under pressure as concerns mount that the Bank of Japan may delay policy tightening. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group shares plunged 10.3%, marking their worst day since August.
Meanwhile, defensive domestic stocks gained. Real estate firm Mitsui Fudosan climbed 5%, and East Japan Railway rose 3.8%. BOJ Deputy Governor Shinichi Uchida reiterated that rate hikes remain on the table, but the central bank is closely watching the fallout from higher U.S. tariffs.
