Public Markets 8-Hour Briefing
×Asian Markets Rebound
Chinese stocks gained as traders returned from a nine-day Lunar New Year break, with optimism about lower US tariffs and homegrown technologies offsetting mixed signals on holiday spending. Hong Kong hit by tech losses as the city's market faced pressure from sector-specific concerns.
AI Disruption Fears
Indian IT stocks deepened their selloff after a Citrini Research report amplified worries about businesses vulnerable to artificial intelligence. Zhipu AI shares rebounded after tumbling on compute shortage concerns, highlighting the sector's volatility.
Tariff Developments
Trump's 10% global tariffs took effect after the Supreme Court struck down his earlier sweeping levies. Australian exporters braced for policy shifts as businesses faced renewed uncertainty following the court decision.
Corporate Moves
Marsh is exploring a sale of its financial risk manager and life insurance broker for high-net-worth individuals in Asia. Air France-KLM and hotelier Accor SA will need to pay financial penalties to bondholders for failing to meet greenhouse gas targets.
Regional Developments
China banned exports of dual-use items to Japanese entities, escalating a monthslong dispute over Taiwan. Thailand saw Chinese tourists fuel a rebound in tourism as travelers avoided Japan.
Market Performance
Singapore's UOB missed Q4 profit estimates as trading income weakened. Standard Chartered exceeded its 13% return on tangible equity target a year earlier than planned despite quarterly profit falling on weak interest income.
Commodity Markets
Copper jumped as China traders cheered the prospect of lower US levies. LNG may face price pressure from a forecast global glut, though demand growth remains strong according to Australia's biggest producer.
Regulatory Environment
Japan plans a domestic Cfius-style agency to guard sensitive industries against China. Europe's tech sovereignty ambitions carry security risks, according to military warnings about decoupling from US tech companies.
Investment Trends
Amundi went long Japanese debt for the first time in decades as Europe's biggest asset manager took a bullish view on the nation's bonds. Wealthy spouses are hiding crypto assets in divorce cases, lawyers say, adding a new dimension to financial settlements.
Technology Sector
Anthropic kicked off a share sale for staffers of up to $6 billion at a $350 billion valuation. DeepSeek trained its latest AI model on Nvidia Blackwell chips despite US export bans.
Financial Services
EY-Parthenon's Daco identified inflation and business investment as the next tariff unknowns. The American Bankers Association chair said the banking system is a safe place for digital assets.