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February 4th - According to Sensor Towers store intelligence platform, 36 Chinese companies were among the top 100 global mobile game publishers in terms of revenue in January 2026, generating a total of $2.18 billion, accounting for 37.8% of the total revenue of the top 100 global mobile game publishers in that period. Tencent, thanks to the strong performance of its flagship products such as "Honor of Kings" and "Peacekeeper Elite," saw its mobile game revenue increase by 43% month-on-month, firmly retaining its title as the worlds highest-grossing mobile game publisher.On February 4th, Lazard CEO Peter Orszag stated at the "Wall Street Journal Invest Live" event that the Federal Reserve may not have cut interest rates at the end of last year. While the market generally believes inflation is declining, he expects inflation to unexpectedly rise this year. He added that artificial intelligence and high-income consumers could boost US economic growth, describing this momentum as "fragile but strong." He also pointed out that most of the impact of tariffs has not yet materialized, which could also push up inflation. He believes the Fed has fallen behind the curve and should not have cut rates at the end of last year. "If we are right," he said, "all of this has only further exacerbated inflation, led to further depreciation of the dollar, and steepened the yield curve."February 4th - During Asian trading hours, the Singapore dollar remained range-bound against the US dollar, but the prospect of the Federal Reserve maintaining high interest rates for an extended period could put pressure on it. Analysts at CIMBs Treasury and Markets Research Department noted in a report that given persistently high inflation, both Federal Reserve Governor Bowman and Richmond Fed President Barkin have signaled that further rate cuts may take longer. The analysts also mentioned that Barkin believes the Feds recent rate cuts have helped support the US labor market. FactSet data shows the US dollar was little changed against the Singapore dollar, trading at 1.2698.Goldman Sachs: Judging from the timing, most of the price fluctuations in January were driven by Western capital flows.On February 4th, Han Wenxiu, Deputy Director of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission and Director of the Central Rural Work Leading Group Office, stated at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office that this years No. 1 Central Document makes specific arrangements for "implementing normalized and targeted poverty alleviation," and various supporting policies are being formulated and issued. Han Wenxiu stated that incorporating normalized poverty alleviation into the overall implementation of the rural revitalization strategy requires focusing on dynamic management of assistance recipients, ensuring precise and efficient assistance methods, stratifying assistance regions, and maintaining overall stability in assistance policies. Han Wenxiu emphasized that assistance policies must remain generally stable, avoiding abrupt changes or halts in fiscal investment, financial support, and resource allocation, and maintaining the stability of the scale of normalized central government assistance funds and the scale of provincial and municipal government investments.

Hang Seng Index, ASX200, Nikkei 225: Hang Seng Leads the Way

Florala Chen

Feb 16, 2023 15:59

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Market Overview

It was a bullish morning session. US retail sales figures for January impressed on Wednesday. Retail sales surged by 3.0% in January. Economists forecast a 1.8% increase. Retail sales had fallen for two consecutive months before January’s marked increase in consumption. Following the pickup in US service sector activity, the latest stats muted fears of a US economic recession.


The NASDAQ Composite Index rose by 0.92% on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones and S&P 500 seeing gains of 0.11% and 0.28%, respectively.


Significantly, the latest numbers from the US failed to fuel fears of more aggressive Fed policy moves to bring inflation to target. The markets are betting on the Fed pushing rates above 5%. Investors will likely stomach rates above 5% if the US avoids a recession.

ASX 200

The ASX 200 was up 0.72%. Employment numbers for January disappointed this morning. Australia’s unemployment rate rose from 3.5% to 3.7%, weighed by a 43.3k slump in full employment. The increase came despite a fall in the participation rate from 66.6% to 66.5%. While the numbers were disappointing, a higher unemployment rate could force the RBA to rethink its immediate policy goals.


This morning, bank stocks had a mixed session. Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) bucked the trend, falling by 0.88%. Westpac Banking Corp (WBC) rose by 0.68%, with National Australia Bank (NAB) and ANZ Group (ANZ) seeing gains of 0.79% and 0.77%, respectively.


Mining stocks provided support. Rio Tinto (RIO) and BHP Group Ltd (BHP) were up by 0.60% and 0.50%, respectively, with Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) rising by 0.77%. However, Newcrest Mining (NCM) was down by 1.13%.


An overnight pullback in crude oil prices weighed on Woodside Energy Group (WDS) and Santos Ltd (STO), which fell by 0.68% and 1.63%, respectively. WTI was up 0.49% to $79.08 this morning.


However, earnings results were mixed. AMP Ltd (AMP) was down 13.74% on a sharp slide in annual profits, while Telstra Group (TLS) was up 2.05%. Block Inc (SQ2), the first crypto-related ASX listing, was up 9.22%, supported by a Wednesday crypto market rally.

Hang Seng Index

The Hang Seng was up 2.14% this morning. Market reaction to US retail sales figures delivered the bullish morning session.


Tencent Holdings Ltd (HK:0700) was up 3.50%, with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (HK:9988) gaining 3.27%


Bank stocks also found support. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (HK:1398) and China Construction Bank (HK: 0939) rose by 1.26% and 0.20%, respectively, with HSBC Holdings PLC up by 0.51%.


CNOOC (HK: 0883) found morning support off the back of a pickup in crude oil prices, rising by 0.79%.

Nikkei 225

The Nikkei 225 was up 0.18% this morning, with a USD/JPY return to 134 levels delivering further support. However, economic indicators pegged the Nikkei 225 back from more solid gains. Core machinery orders and trade data disappointed this morning.


In December, core machinery orders rose by 1.6% versus a forecasted 3.0% increase. Orders fell by 8.3% in November. Year-over-year, core orders were down 6.6% versus a 3.7% fall in November. Japan’s trade deficit widened from ¥1,452 billion to ¥3,497 billion in January. Imports were up 17.8%, while exports increased by a modest 3.5%.


SoftBank Group Corp. (9984) rose by 1.74%, with Fast Retailing Co (9983) gaining 1.93%. Tokyo Electron Ltd (8035) rose by 1.14%, while KDDI Corp (9433) fell by 0.35%. Sony Corp (6758) joined the broader market in the green, gaining 0.51%.