Asia Stocks Seen Muted on Holiday Trade, Oil Gains: Markets Wrap

Why It Matters

The constrained liquidity heightens sensitivity to upcoming economic releases, making the market prone to sharper moves once data arrives. It underscores a cautious investor stance amid limited trading activity.

Key Takeaways

• Holiday closures thin Asian market liquidity
• Futures show modest moves; Australia up, Japan down
• Yen weakens to ~153 per dollar
• Gold and silver prices decline
• Investors await mid‑week economic data

Pulse Analysis

Holiday schedules in Asia often create thin order books, and the simultaneous Lunar New Year shutdown in China and Hong Kong this week amplified that effect. With fewer participants, even modest order flow can sway prices, prompting traders to tighten spreads and rely more on futures for price discovery. This environment typically leads to lower volatility, but it also means that any sudden influx of news can trigger outsized reactions once markets reopen fully.

The Japanese yen’s slide to roughly 153 per dollar reflects a blend of risk‑off sentiment and divergent monetary policy expectations. As the U.S. Federal Reserve maintains a tighter stance, the yen, traditionally a safe‑haven currency, loses ground against a stronger dollar. This depreciation can affect import‑export balances for Japan and other Asian economies that price trade in dollars, potentially widening trade deficits and influencing corporate earnings forecasts.

Looking ahead, investors are eyeing a series of macroeconomic data points slated for later in the week, including U.S. inflation figures, Japan’s consumer‑price index, and Australia’s employment numbers. These releases could provide the catalyst needed to break the current calm, especially if they diverge from market expectations. Traders may position themselves with short‑term hedges or adjust exposure to currency‑sensitive sectors, anticipating that the combination of thin liquidity and fresh data could spark heightened volatility across Asian markets.

Asia Stocks Seen Muted on Holiday Trade, Oil Gains: Markets Wrap

February 16, 2026 at 10:33 PM UTC

Asian stocks were poised for a subdued start Tuesday, with holiday‑thinned trading keeping volumes light as investors await a fresh round of economic data later this week for direction.

Equity index futures for Australia were slightly up and those for Japan edged lower. The Euro Stoxx 600 was little changed Monday, while markets in the US were closed for Presidents’ Day. Mainland China and Hong Kong markets are shut for Lunar New Year holidays. The yen weakened against the greenback to trade around 153 per dollar, while gold and silver fell.