Public Markets 3h Briefing
×Regional Markets
Asian stocks bloomberg.com extended declines for a second day as Middle East tensions escalated, with South Korea leading losses. Japan's 10-year bond auction bloomberg.com drew steady demand despite the shaky geopolitical backdrop, offering some relief as inflation concerns resurfaced across global markets.
Fixed Income
Global bonds bloomberg.com fell sharply as the Iran conflict rekindled inflation fears, reversing bonds' best start to a year since the pandemic. Asian government bonds wsj.com sold off Tuesday amid mounting concerns that Middle East instability will drive faster interest-rate increases.
Regional Developments
Turkey's central bank bloomberg.com is set to pause interest-rate cuts in March as energy costs spike amid the Iran conflict, threatening the country's disinflation efforts. Taiwan's $247 billion pension fund bloomberg.com is considering new overseas mandates, less than a year after its last international allocations.
Emerging Markets
India's National Highways Authority bloomberg.com is preparing a $656 million IPO for its infrastructure investment trust, seeking to list units that may fetch up to 60 billion rupees. Philippine President Marcos bloomberg.com sought to allay economic concerns about the Middle East war while ensuring worker safety.
China Market
Chinese mainland investors bloomberg.com persist in buying Hong Kong stocks despite underperformance, chasing dip-buying opportunities as ETF inflows surge. China's AI listings boom bloomberg.com has left investors flying blind, with analyst coverage struggling to keep pace with breakneck IPO debuts.
Geopolitical Impact
Gold wagers bloomberg.com hit a 16-week high as risk-off sentiment grew amid Middle East conflict. Singapore is tapping JPMorgan and UBS to boost its regional gold hub ambitions, seeking to enhance liquidity and market making.
Economic Policy
Arthur Kroeber bloomberg.com said China's 2026 growth target will be irrelevant to its structural problems, expecting no surprises when Beijing announces its five-year plan. Malaysia's Petronas bloomberg.com said it's closely monitoring Middle East developments but has seen no direct operational impact so far.
Middle East Conflict
President Trump bloomberg.com vowed to do "whatever it takes" in the ongoing war with Iran, as footage showed damaged buildings and rescue crews in Tehran. Mona Yacoubian bloomberg.com highlighted the "lack of clarity" on US Iran goals and absence of an off-ramp in current policy.
Technology Sector
MiniMax investing.com surged after its first results since Hong Kong IPO, with AI revenue soaring in the newly listed company's maiden earnings report. OpenAI ft.com made changes to its "opportunistic and sloppy" Pentagon deal, working on provisions covering mass surveillance.