
EBC Markets Briefing | Wall St edged up but rate hike cycle weighs
The S&P 500 ended marginally up on Friday after US and Iranian negotiators were exploring a phased path out of war. Despite that, Iran will make no nuclear concessions, Iranian official says. US stocks historically experience a period of weakness whenever the Fed begins a new cycle of interest r
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EBC Markets Briefing | European stocks bullish despite prospect of rate hikes
European stocks ended slightly higher on Tuesday as market watchers monitored unfolding US-Iran tensions for potential impacts on oil prices and market sentiment. Germany's top economic institutes have doubled their 2026 growth forecast to 1.3% and raised projections for 2027, according to sources.
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EBC Markets Briefing | Crude prices lower on unexpected rise in US inventory
Oil prices slid on Thursday though Asia's imports of crude oil rose in September to the highest level since the start of the Iran war. Pezeshkian said on Wednesday that Tehran would never surrender to the US but still believes in diplomacy. On Tuesday, Trump used a speech at the same forum to make h
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EBC Markets Briefing | China AI divergence: onshore boom vs offshore tech lag
Mainland Chinese and Hong Kong stocks rallied this week after the US and China agreed to hold further talks on AI. The Trump administration maintains export controls on the most advanced chips to Beijing. Investors seeking to diversify beyond crowded AI trades in Korea and Japan are increasingly sei
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EBC Markets Briefing | Yen eases on widening trade surplus
The Japanese yen weakened n Tuesday as traders bet that Japan will fall behind a global shift toward higher interest rates, maintaining a wide yield gap with international central banks. Markets are currently pricing in a 30% probability that the BOJ will hike its interest rate to 1.5% in October, w
EBC Markets Briefing | Yuan stays strong ahead China-US summit
The yuan stayed around its strongest level in more than 4 years on Monday as the PBOC continued to guide the currency higher ahead of a meeting between Chinese leader and US president. Expectations are high that the summit may result in an extension of the bilateral trade truce that will expire in N
EBC Markets Briefing | China stocks higher; Aussie dollar near 3-week high
Asian stocks tracked Wall Street higher on Friday, with China's A50 hovering around 15,000. Saudi Arabia's critical pipeline to the Red Sea suffered a recent attack from Iran, cutting throughput by 700,000 bpd. Foreign investors pulled $70.3 billion from emerging market assets, especially Asian stoc
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EBC Markets Briefing | China A50 cheers lower-than-expected US CPI
The FTSE China A50 index traded higher on Wednesday after a surprise slowdown in US inflation scaled back market expectations for interest rate hikes. Importantly service costs moderated significantly last month. Trump warned of potential strikes against Iran's power plants and bridges soon if negot
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EBC Markets Briefing | Oil prices extend losses on easing supply concerns
On Friday, oil prices declined, driven by market confidence in alternative transport links for Middle Eastern oil, which balanced out anxieties over clashes between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi movement in Yemen. Markets remained largely unconcerned by potential supply risks. A prolonged closure of t
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EBC Markets Briefing | Swedish krona eases in wake of Fed rate hike
The Swedish krona weakened on Thursday after the Fed raised interest rates and flagged more hikes in coming months. Saudi Arabia reportedly offers ship-to-ship crude transfers. Chair Warsh said inflation is still too high. Goldman Sachs has updated its forecast, predicting that the Fed will increase
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EBC Markets Briefing | Where to invest despite AI deceleration landscape?
Microsoft (MSFT.OQ) has introduced a temporary code of conduct to restrict its AI models, arriving shortly after executives from Anthropic and OpenAI agreed to decelerate development. While calls from AI executives to slow tech development could briefly drag down chipmaker and supply-chain shares, s
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EBC Markets Briefing | STOXX 50 went into reverse this month, pressured by Iran aggression
European stocks dropped to their lowest level in months on Tuesday. A combination of surging oil prices and climbing bond yields dampened investor confidence ahead of the upcoming Fed interest rate decision. Attacks on energy infrastructure in the Gulf and the Russia-Ukraine war zone have strained s
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EBC Markets Briefing | Bond rout extends to equities with oil price through the roof
US stock funds saw a second straight week of cash withdrawals as investor sentiment was hit by climbing bond yields, rising oil prices, and escalating conflict in the Middle East. The net outflow totalled a $11.12 billion, according to LSEG Lipper data. Technology recorded net withdrawals of $1.39 b
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