(RTTNews) - The Indonesia stock market on Wednesday ended the four-day losing streak in which it had tumbled more than 240 points or 3.5 percent. The Jakarta Composite Index now sits just above the 7,180-point plateau and it's tipped to open in the green on Thursday.
(RTTNews) - The Indonesia stock market on Wednesday ended the four-day losing streak in which it had tumbled more than 240 points or 3.5 percent. The Jakarta Composite Index now sits just above the 7,180-point plateau and it's tipped to open in the green on Thursday.
The Liberia-flagged crude oil tanker Shenlong Suezmax successfully docked at Mumbai Port after navigating the high-risk Strait of Hormuz amid the intensifying West Asia conflict on March 11, 2026 in Mumbai, India. Hindustan Times | Getty Images Oil rose in volatile trading as U.S. President Donald Trump in his address to the nation on Iran war said that he expected the conflict to last another two...
The Liberia-flagged crude oil tanker Shenlong Suezmax successfully docked at Mumbai Port after navigating the high-risk Strait of Hormuz amid the intensifying West Asia conflict on March 11, 2026 in Mumbai, India. Hindustan Times | Getty Images Oil rose in volatile trading as U.S. President Donald Trump in his address to the nation on Iran war said that he expected the conflict to last another two to three weeks. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures for May gained 1.7% to $101.8 a barrel as of 9:27 p.m. ET. International benchmark Brent crude rose 2.85% to $104.04 per barrel. Earlier on Wednesday, Trump said in a post on Truth Social that Iran had asked for a ceasefire , raising hopes for more oil tanker movement through the Strait of Hormuz. Traffic in the vital strait, which used to see 20% of the world's oil and gas flows through, has effectively ground to a halt since the U.S.-Israel war against Iran began on Feb. 28. Iran's "New Regime President" has asked the U.S. for a ceasefire, a request will only be considered if the Strait of Hormuz is "open, free, and clear," Trump said. "Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!" The Islamic Republic, however, has denied Trump's claim , saying that the waterway won't be reopened based on the U.S. leader's "absurd displays" and that the key transit route remains "decisively and dominantly under the control of the IRGC Navy." Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Brent The two sides have frequently contradicted each other's claims about the existence and status of peace-deal talks since the war started. Trump has also sent conflicting signals, reportedly saying negotiations were close to producing a peace deal, but the U.S. was also prepared to escalate fighting by sending thousands of troops to the region. Brent oil dipped below $100 per barrel for the first time in a week after Trump said Tuesday evening that he expected the U.S. military to wind down operations against ...
A major feature of Hong Kong’s legal profession is the division between barristers and solicitors. Barristers specialise in court work and legal advice relating to litigation, and can generally only be engaged through a solicitor. Solicitors provide a broader range of legal services, covering both contentious and non-contentious matters. Some solicitors also focus on courtroom advocacy and are acc...
A major feature of Hong Kong’s legal profession is the division between barristers and solicitors. Barristers specialise in court work and legal advice relating to litigation, and can generally only be engaged through a solicitor. Solicitors provide a broader range of legal services, covering both contentious and non-contentious matters. Some solicitors also focus on courtroom advocacy and are accredited as solicitor-advocates. The “split” profession is not common to all legal systems. In fact,...
China’s central bank withdrew cash from its financial system for the first time in a year, a cautious signal that keeps its policy options open as higher oil prices filter through the economy. The People’s Bank of China drained a total of 890 billion yuan ($129 billion) worth of liquidity via short-term open market operations in March and soaked up another 250 billion yuan through longer-term tool...
China’s central bank withdrew cash from its financial system for the first time in a year, a cautious signal that keeps its policy options open as higher oil prices filter through the economy. The People’s Bank of China drained a total of 890 billion yuan ($129 billion) worth of liquidity via short-term open market operations in March and soaked up another 250 billion yuan through longer-term tools including outright reverse repurchase agreements and medium-term lending facility . Taken together, commercial banks likely recorded their first net repayment of PBOC loans since last May, according to Bloomberg calculations based on official data. The withdrawal marks an abrupt reversal from months of a buildup in liquidity, when officials steered the world’s second-biggest economy through its steepest slowdown since the reopening from Covid lockdowns in late 2022. But with growth rebounding to start the year, the PBOC turned more vigilant, especially as the war in Iran sends oil prices soaring and brings China closer to exiting its record deflation. Policymakers want to “save bullets for the future when more injections are needed,” said Lynn Song , chief economist for Greater China at ING Bank. “It shows the PBOC doesn’t want to further flood the interbank market as the liquidity is already quite ample.” As higher prices ripple through the economy, a growing number of analysts have pushed back their predictions for China’s next cut to interest rates and banks’ required reserves. While the PBOC is unlikely to tighten monetary policy just yet, it may become more wary of adding stimulus at a time when external uncertainties remain high. By contrast, other global central banks are preparing to raise rates or have done so already. The OECD increased its inflation forecasts for major economies in late March and now sees the average rate for the Group of 20 this year jumping to 4%, rather than the 2.8% it predicted in December. PBOC Refrains From Policy Shift in Face of ‘Exter...
Hong Kong is preparing its own medium-term development blueprint alongside China’s coming 15th five-year plan, which officials have described as a “golden strategic period” for the city. This is more than a procedural shift. For the first time, Hong Kong is attempting to align its policy cycle in advance with national planning priorities, yet alignment on its own is not a strategy. The more pressi...
Hong Kong is preparing its own medium-term development blueprint alongside China’s coming 15th five-year plan, which officials have described as a “golden strategic period” for the city. This is more than a procedural shift. For the first time, Hong Kong is attempting to align its policy cycle in advance with national planning priorities, yet alignment on its own is not a strategy. The more pressing question is whether the city can define a role that is distinct, necessary and difficult to...
Getty Images An eventful first quarter is now in the books. In the table below, we show the total return for a range of ETFs across various parts of the equity market (both domestic and international) in addition to other asset classes. Unsurprisingly, the single largest gain in Q1 came from oil as USO surged 84%. The next best returns were related to oil, with the energy sector ( XLE ) up 37.9% a...
Getty Images An eventful first quarter is now in the books. In the table below, we show the total return for a range of ETFs across various parts of the equity market (both domestic and international) in addition to other asset classes. Unsurprisingly, the single largest gain in Q1 came from oil as USO surged 84%. The next best returns were related to oil, with the energy sector ( XLE ) up 37.9% and broad commodities ( DBC ) gaining 29.5%. Elsewhere in commodities, gold ( GLD ) and silver ( SLV ), in addition to ags ( DBA ) all rose mid to high-single digits. While gold was higher, "digital gold", or Bitcoin ( IBIT ), had a rough quarter, falling 22.6%; the worst return of any asset in the matrix. Turning to equities, the S&P 500 ( SPY ) fell 4.4%, but the equal-weight version of the index ( RSP ) managed to gain 0.61%. Sector performance was mixed. Again, energy saw a huge gain, as did materials ( XLB ), up 10.67%. Other more lightweight sectors like consumer staples ( XLP ), industrials ( XLI ), and real estate ( XLRE ) were also higher. On the downside, some of the more heavyweight areas like tech ( XLK ), consumer discretionary ( XLY ), and financials ( XLF ) all fell more than 7%. Large caps underperformed small and mid caps, and growth underperformed value. Internationally, most countries saw gains, with the largest coming from Brazil ( EWZ ) as it gained over 20%. Meanwhile, India ( INDA ) fell the most with a 13.3% drop. China ( MCHI ), France ( EWQ ), Germany ( EWG ), and Italy ( EWI ) all fell in Q1 as well. Looking at individual stocks, the Russell 1000 had less than half of the index move higher in Q1, with the average stock falling 0.29%. In the table below, we show the 25 top performers in the index during the quarter. Memory stock Sandisk ( SNDK ) topped the list with a 194% gain as AI demand continues to bolster that industry. Another AI story that drove a 100%+ gain in Q1 was optical and photonic product manufacturer Lumentum ( LITE ), who also secu...