Asia markets rally on optimism Iran war could end soon

April 1, 2026 9:45 AM

Asia markets rally on optimism Iran war could end soon

Stocks and bonds rallied and the dollar wallowed at the start of the Asian trading session on Wednesday on hopes of a de-escalation in the Iran conflict, while significantly better-than-expected economic data for March propelled a rebound in Korean and Japanese shares. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 2.7%, snapping a four-day losing streak as South Korea's Kospi surged as much as 5.5%. The Nikkei 225 also jumped 3.9% at one point, after U.S. President Donald Tr...

Global stocks and bonds steady after rate sell-off

May 30, 2024 3:31 PM

Global stocks and bonds steady after rate sell-off

European stocks steadied on Thursday as bonds regained some ground after a sell-off the day before on bets that global interest rates would stay higher for longer due to stickier inflation readings. The dollar softened slightly as U.S. Treasury yields slippedback while commodity prices came under pressure on renewed expectations that the Federal Reserve is unlikely to cut rates any time soon. The latest slowdown in the global risk rally has come on the back of data pointing to lingering inflat...

Global stocks and bonds bask in rate cut hopes

May 16, 2024 3:33 PM

Global stocks and bonds bask in rate cut hopes

World stocks hit a record high and bond markets rallied on Thursday as galvanized hopes of interest rates cuts in the United States and other major economies extended a powerful month-long global bull run. Investors were still basking in the glow of Wednesday's mild U.S. inflation data as well as growing optimism in Asia that China was finally looking at the kind of measures that might ease its property crisis. MSCI's benchmark world stocks index, which tracks 47 countries, was up for a sixth ...