Public Markets 3h Briefing
×Energy & Commodities
China boosted crude imports bloomberg.com in the first two months of the year amid growing concerns about supply disruptions from the Middle East conflict, while palm oil slumped 4.3% bloomberg.com in Kuala Lumpur tracking crude oil prices after President Trump suggested the Iran war may soon end. Aluminum extended its retreat bloomberg.com from a four-year high as Middle East supply concerns eased, with the metal falling as geopolitical tensions showed signs of easing in the region.
China Markets & Trade
China's export growth accelerated 22% bloomberg.com in the first two months of the year before the Middle East war disrupted global trade, with shipments on a record path despite geopolitical uncertainties. Meanwhile, the country's government bond yield curve reached its steepest level bloomberg.com in four years as inflation concerns triggered by the Iran conflict piled pressure on longer-term debt. In the tech sector, shares of Tencent and Zhipu jumped significantly bloomberg.com on launches of AI agents tapping into Open Claw, reflecting China's enthusiasm for open-source artificial intelligence programs.
Financial Markets & Credit
Asian credit protection costs fell by the most bloomberg.com in over eight months following Trump's signals about a possible end to the Iran war, while investors cut leverage bloomberg.com in Indian markets as the conflict and oil price spikes roiled trading. Multiple forces continue to buffet markets bloomberg.com with war, AI stress and credit cracks colliding in ways that defy easy fixes, making the traditional "buy the dip" strategy less reliable. In India, Kotak Mahindra Bank is seeking acquisitions bloomberg.com to deploy excess capital amid a transformation of the country's financial industry.
M&A & Corporate Activity
Singapore's Sembcorp Industries arranged a $2.1 billion bloomberg.com loan to back its purchase of Australian power generator Alinta Energy, fueling Australia's funding boom. Meanwhile, French asset manager Carmignac joined activist Palliser bloomberg.com in a campaign to improve corporate governance at South Korea's LG Chem, highlighting increasing shareholder activism in Asian markets.