
Hormuz hopes lift Asia‑Pacific equities as oil prices surge
Asia‑Pacific markets rallied on Friday as optimism grew that Iran and Oman’s draft protocol could reopen the Strait of Hormuz for oil shipments. Crude prices rose, with U.S. WTI at $112 per barrel and Brent at $141, prompting South Korea’s Kospi to jump 2.7% while Japan’s bond yields hit multi‑decade highs and China’s CSI 300 slipped.

Korean equity markets surged on March 5, with the KOSPI up 9.63% and the KOSDAQ climbing 14.10%, driven by heavy institutional buying in AI‑focused semiconductor equipment firms. Mid‑cap players such as Hanmi Semiconductor (+21.6%) and Wonik IPS (+13.1%) led the rally, signaling confidence in U.S. AI data‑center capex. The rebound also reflected a rapid recovery in the high‑bandwidth memory (HBM) supply chain, as Samsung and SK Hynix posted double‑digit gains. Analysts warn that the rally’s durability hinges on U.S. payroll data and Nasdaq futures holding above key technical levels.

Vodafone Idea’s shares jumped over 3.5% to around ₹10.35 after media reports indicated the Department of Telecommunications could slash the company’s licence fee liability by 60‑65%. The DoT has completed the licence‑fee reassessment, with spectrum usage charges to be reviewed...

BNM maintains OPR 2.75%. BNM mentioned “conflict in Mid East” risk: “The MPC acknowledges the uncertainties from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The impact to the global & Malaysian economy will depend on how these developments evolve....

Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei index briefly spiked over 4% on Thursday, settling up 1.9% at 55,278 points, while the broader Topix also rose 1.9% to 3,702.67. The rally was sparked by reports that the United States and Iran were negotiating a...

South Korean President Lee Jae‑Myung ordered an immediate rollout of a 100 trillion‑won (US $68.3 billion) financial package to stabilise capital markets amid the escalating Middle East conflict. The plan targets volatility in stocks and exchange rates while explicitly avoiding direct government share...
Citi placed Coal India Ltd on a 90‑day Upside Catalyst Watch and lifted its target price to ₹430, prompting the stock to climb over 4%. The brokerage cited stronger global coal prices and a potential shift from gas to coal...
India’s IPO market has stalled, with seven of the last eight main‑board listings debuting below their issue prices. The Nifty’s 6% year‑to‑date decline and heightened volatility have curbed investor appetite for new issues. Overpriced offerings such as Omnitech Engineering and...
I’m on Bloomberg TV tomorrow at 1pm HKT with the wonderful @JoumannaTV on China, India, Southeast Asia, South Korea, and what the widening conflict in Iran and the Middle East means for the region. Short story - we are buyers...
China announced a 300 billion yuan capital injection into state‑owned banks via a special treasury bond, coupled with deeper reforms of state financial firms. The move targets major lenders such as ICBC and Agricultural Bank of China to shore up capital...

STI Education Systems Holdings Inc. reported net income of P1.08 billion for the July‑December 2025 period, an 18% increase over the same half‑year in 2024. Gross revenues rose 8% to P2.83 billion. Total student enrollment slipped to 132,941, driven by lower public...
UOB Kay Hian’s Alpha Picks portfolio outperformed the Straits Times Index in February, delivering a 3.9% equal‑weighted gain versus the STI’s 1.8% rise. The brokerage rebalanced for March, adding defensive large‑caps Huating Global, Keppel and Singtel while trimming exposure to...
International Container Terminal Services Inc. reported a 23% jump in net income to $1.05 billion for 2025, driven by an 11% rise in cargo volumes to 14.5 million TEUs. Gross revenues climbed 18% to $3.23 billion, while EBITDA increased 21% to $2.14 billion and...
On @CNBC in an hour to discuss Asia (China and India). China growth target is soft but same as many expected which is 4.5% to 5%. Defence spending rises officially +7% but many say real spending increase higher. The headlines are really about...
Mainland Chinese investors sold the most Hong Kong stocks in a single session on record, underscoring waning appetite for the city’s shares seen as more vulnerable to geopolitical uncertainty. https://t.co/lttZLxoqBw
Aspial Lifestyle’s shares rose roughly 6% after the company announced a proposed transfer to the Singapore Exchange’s mainboard. The move is intended to broaden its access to equity and debt capital, appealing to institutional investors with mainboard mandates. Currently, only...
FT, citing sources: Nvidia has stopped production of chips intended for the Chinese market, betting that regulatory barriers in Washington and Beijing will continue to limit sales to China. @zijing_wu https://t.co/WzcEVP1osx
China’s Traditional Businesses Try to Buy Into AI Boom—For many Chinese companies, investing in chip makers is a survival strategy @QinSherry https://t.co/4pke6IQIur https://t.co/4pke6IQIur

Tube Investments of India has been on a steady rally since late January, breaking the ₹2,650 resistance on March 2 and trading around ₹2,769. Technical analysts project a short‑term dip to the breached level before the uptrend resumes, with a near‑term...
Have we discounted the IRAN war risk in markets? Using the India VIX to consider the idea that the worst of our fears may already be in the market https://t.co/LzpXAJuIYv https://t.co/H4WBbxWV2k
China Signals New Era of Slower Economic Growth—Beijing sets historically low growth target of 4.5% to 5% @hannahmiao_ @TByGraceZhu @ByXiaoXiao https://t.co/o4Z2iYoVdw https://t.co/o4Z2iYoVdw

Nikkei futures surged 3.8% to 56,310, reversing a 3.6% drop the day before. The index remains up 7.7% year‑to‑date and 45% over the past year, reflecting strong investor appetite for low‑multiple Japanese stocks and tech exposure. The Bank of Japan...

Didn’t realize how much Korean chip production has fallen in the past few months, as it’s shifting towards high bandwith memory. Source: Robeco https://t.co/I5YOwPS4OL

Korean stocks gap higher at the open. Index up 10% in the early minutes https://t.co/JnBZeO7dnc

South Korea’s Kospi plunged roughly 20% over two sessions, ending a ten‑month rally that had lifted the index nearly 180% on AI‑linked stocks. The sharp equity correction coincided with a modest resurgence in domestic crypto trading, as retail investors reallocated...
The Bombay Stock Exchange will introduce cash‑settled monthly futures and options on the Sensex Next 30 index, which tracks the most liquid large‑cap stocks outside the flagship Sensex 30. SEBI has approved the contracts, setting expiry on the last Thursday of each...

🔴THIS IS INSANE: South Korean equity funds saw $3.7 BILLION in inflows last week, bringing the year-to-date total to a record $21 BILLION. The vast majority of these flows were driven by retail investors. Meanwhile, the Korean KOSPI index has CRATERED -24% from...
Nifty Prediction For Tomorrow 5 March 2026 By Rohit Srivastava | Indiacharts Nifty has gapped down to test a crucial long-term support trendline around the 24,450 level. A short-term relief rally is possible, which could push the index to retest the...
Indian equities deepened their decline on Tuesday as fragile sentiment and weaker-than-expected third‑quarter earnings weighed on the market. CIO Srinivas Rao Ravuri highlighted that forward earnings multiples sit around 19‑times, which he finds comfortable but not compelling. He favoured domestic‑driven...

The timing of our China Macro Watch report on February 25 has proven fortuitous. In that note, we laid out why Beijing is unlikely to lift its 45mn-ton aluminum output cap — a policy that has effectively anchored global supply...
In Asia, Thailand and South Korea have the highest GDP exposure to imported oil & so the violence today in Korea and Thai markets reflects fear how that will play out. Note that this is negative for Asia in general but...

In this episode, Michelle Martin and market analyst Ryan Huang dissect a volatile global backdrop, covering Asian equity declines, the earnings surge and share‑price drop of Singapore‑based Sea Ltd (Shopee), Singapore’s push to become a regional physical gold hub, and...
“It’s perhaps best to consider this selloff as a painful but healthy cleansing. It de-leverages and chases away momentum-driven speculators. What’s left will be those who care about company earnings and reasonable valuations.” https://t.co/u2x38lgHiL
Alibaba’s tech lead for its Qwen open-source model is standing down, a surprise move that is rattling the global developer community and casting a shadow over the tech giant’s pivot into AI Complex factors here... https://t.co/9lYt5WXB4b
Gujarat Gas announced a 50% cut in gas supplies to industrial customers after the US‑Iran conflict disrupted regasified LNG imports, sending its shares down 4% to Rs 382 on the BSE. The company, which sources roughly 70% of its gas from...
South Korea’s KOSPI index dropped the most since the 2008 financial crisis. It’s all starting to fit together My latest at Culpium https://t.co/75TudacVv5
Asian tech stocks reel as US-Iran war threatens infrastructure and supply chains https://t.co/oxpKfheSqI via @scmpnews

The Taiwan dollar fell to 31.782 per U.S. dollar, its weakest level since May, after foreign investors sold NT$230.2 billion of Taiwanese stocks this week – the largest weekly outflow since at least 2000. The sell‑off was triggered by heightened geopolitical...

Nervous Consolidation Featured after the Asia Pacific Equity Rout was Extended: The dollar is trading a little softer today, but the tone is one of nervous consolidation. The market is digesting reports that Iran has reached out to negotiate the...

Nervous consolidation is the main feature in the capital markets after Asia Pacific equities extended their slide. $USD is mostly softer but in yesterday's ranges. Japan's MOF threatened intervention. See https://t.co/24YmyiETAN https://t.co/XmEx257iS8
Asian markets slipped further on March 4 as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East escalated. Iran’s continued attacks and heightened Israeli‑U.S. pressure pushed energy prices higher, while airlines kept flights grounded. South Korea’s KOSPI index dropped again, marking a second consecutive...
Korean stock market -12% today, the bloodbath affected the local game companies like so: Neowiz -13.7% Kakao Games -12.5% Netmarble -11% Com2Us -10.8% Krafton -10.6% Nexon Games -10.3% Devsisters -10.2% PearlAbyss -10% Shift Up -8.8%
Malaysia should not be one of the weakest links here. It exports gas so higher prices is good for Malaysia, offsetting deficit of oil…

Korean stocks may well see the quickest transition from bull to technical bear market on record. Three-day losses nearing 20% now. Elevator up, cliff jump down https://t.co/g8dAOgm798
China PMIs Send Mixed Signals as Markets Watch for Stimulus—Nonmanufacturing PMI, which covers both service and construction activity, edged up to 49.5 in February https://t.co/7qblrUNU7k https://t.co/7qblrUNU7k

Korea’s KOSPI index could enter a bear market after just 3 days.. index is down 18% now from last Thursday’s close 😱 https://t.co/mh7dDzAwFg
Pretty much 100% of my timeline is people freaking out about KOSPI KOSPI is a memory chip story. There’s a great structural reform story, too, and it feels like nobody except @smartkarma and shareholder activists are paying attention
Usdinr crossed 92, a very quick move from the 90s. This plus crude will hit inflation in 6.months if it isn't controlled
KR REGULATORS READY W10TN STOCK MKT STABILIZATION FUND DEPLOYMENT I mean they do still know the market is still up 25% this year right?

US saved its markets for the day but Asia could not However India will not follow Asia - we fell before them we can even recover without them. Watch your own charts which you trade for signals https://t.co/gP7ThLndw2

*CIRCUIT BREAKER TRIGGERED AFTER S. KOREA'S KOSDAQ PLUNGES 8% Where did you think all those crypto flows ended up https://t.co/JzbQThyUAl