Iron ore fell toward a test of $100 a ton on a seasonal slowdown in China, and signs of a softening seaborne market balance. Futures in Singapore slid more than 2%, touching an intraday low of $100.25, with the commodity on pace for the lowest close since August. The latest drop reflects a seasonal slowdown ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday later this month, with steel demand easing as mills sca...
Iron ore fell toward a test of $100 a ton on a seasonal slowdown in China, and signs of a softening seaborne market balance. Futures in Singapore slid more than 2%, touching an intraday low of $100.25, with the commodity on pace for the lowest close since August. The latest drop reflects a seasonal slowdown ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday later this month, with steel demand easing as mills scale back and restocking activity comes to an end. Iron ore has slumped about 5% this year, after steel production in China posted another steep annual decline in 2025, crimping demand in the biggest user. At the same time, leading miners in Australia have been reporting record production, just as the new Simandou project in Guinea ramps up supplies. Near-record iron ore stockpiles at Chinese ports are adding to downward pressure on prices, dampening near-term buying interest. Inventories at mills are also rising, according to MySteel data. Iron ore futures traded 2.1% lower at $100.35 a ton at 10:37 a.m. in Singapore, while contracts in Dalian were also weaker. Steel contracts in Shanghai declined.
Market Snapshot USD/INR ₹90.42 +0.2% Nifty 50 Index 25,776.00 +0.2% India 10-Year Bond Yield 6.70% -0.02 Spot Gold ($/oz) $4,888.20 -1.5% S&P 500 Futures 6,915.25 +0.1% Market data as of 08:15 AM IST, Feb. 5, 2026, or the previous close for Indian markets. Data is subject to provider delays. Good morning... I’m Ashutosh Joshi, an equities reporter in Mumbai, with the news and analysis you need bef...
Market Snapshot USD/INR ₹90.42 +0.2% Nifty 50 Index 25,776.00 +0.2% India 10-Year Bond Yield 6.70% -0.02 Spot Gold ($/oz) $4,888.20 -1.5% S&P 500 Futures 6,915.25 +0.1% Market data as of 08:15 AM IST, Feb. 5, 2026, or the previous close for Indian markets. Data is subject to provider delays. Good morning... I’m Ashutosh Joshi, an equities reporter in Mumbai, with the news and analysis you need before the start of the Indian trading day. There are signs that sentiment for India’s stock market may finally be on the mend. The Nifty 50 rose to a three-week high on Wednesday even as concerns over artificial intelligence-led disruptions sparked a rout in heavyweight tech shares (read the Markets Buzz for more). There’s a nascent reversal in foreign outflows, too, amid optimism over India’s trade deals with the US and EU, and the federal budget . Global funds bought a net $836 million worth of Indian stocks on Tuesday, the most in almost three months. It remains to be seen if the Nifty is able to overcome the broad weakness in Asian equities this morning and extend its winning run. Meanwhile, gold is up again , and we’ve got some big earnings today: Bharti Airtel, Hero MotoCorp, Indian Oil, Tata Motors PV and LIC. In today’s newsletter, we cover: BlackRock’s bullish outlook for India The continued upswing in auto stocks An unexpected dampener for arbitrage funds But first, a look at the multi-billion dollar tech selloff. Markets Buzz: AI Fears Rewrite IT Rules On Wednesday, shares of Indian IT giants got hammered amid a global selloff in the tech sector, shedding more than $20 billion in market value in a single session — the biggest drop since early 2022. The outlook for these firms had been improving in recent months, but worries about AI disrupting the industry’s traditional business model resurfaced following a new automation tool from Anthropic. Some investors feel that the panic may be overdone. Mumbai-based PL Capital says Indian firms remain a critical software-ser...
We came across a bearish thesis on Apple Inc. on CompoundingLab’s Substack. In this article, we will summarize the bears’ thesis on AAPL. Apple Inc.'s share was trading at $256.44 as of January 28th. AAPL’s trailing and forward P/E were 34.62 and 31.15 respectively according to Yahoo Finance. brandon-romanchuk-NOFyRmSQfUQ-unsplash Apple Inc. (AAPL) is widely regarded as a flagship technology compa...
We came across a bearish thesis on Apple Inc. on CompoundingLab’s Substack. In this article, we will summarize the bears’ thesis on AAPL. Apple Inc.'s share was trading at $256.44 as of January 28th. AAPL’s trailing and forward P/E were 34.62 and 31.15 respectively according to Yahoo Finance. brandon-romanchuk-NOFyRmSQfUQ-unsplash Apple Inc. (AAPL) is widely regarded as a flagship technology company, with a dominant position across smartphones, wearables, services, and its broader ecosystem. The company has consistently delivered solid operational performance, with EBITDA margins reflecting efficiency and free cash flow generation that has funded substantial share buybacks and strategic investments. Over the past decade, Apple has grown revenue at a median rate of 6%, driven by iPhone sales, expanding services, and the stickiness of its ecosystem, which together create a durable competitive moat. However, a detailed DCF analysis suggests that the current market price may be significantly overstating the company’s growth potential. Key assumptions—including a five-year growth rate of 7%, long-term growth of 2.6%, a WACC of 8%, and an EV/EBITDA exit multiple of 20—indicate that shares are trading roughly 128% above intrinsic value. This implies that investors may be pricing in aggressive growth that could be difficult to sustain given historical trends and the maturity of Apple’s core markets. While Apple’s brand strength, ecosystem, and cash flow generation remain compelling, the disconnect between valuation and achievable growth introduces material downside risk. For investors, this suggests a cautious approach: while Apple’s businesses remain resilient and cash-generative, the current stock price offers limited margin of safety, making it a potentially overvalued investment at present. Long-term returns may be constrained unless growth accelerates beyond conservative projections, highlighting the importance of valuation discipline in exposure to even the most iconi...
Seoul's Kospi index, which has hit multiple records this year thanks to its heavy tech presence, was in retreat (Jung Yeon-je) · Jung Yeon-je/AFP/AFP Asian stocks fell Thursday to track more losses on Wall Street, where tech firms were again under pressure as fears over vast AI investments and extended valuations gained momentum. While the extreme volatility that greeted the start of the week has ...
Seoul's Kospi index, which has hit multiple records this year thanks to its heavy tech presence, was in retreat (Jung Yeon-je) · Jung Yeon-je/AFP/AFP Asian stocks fell Thursday to track more losses on Wall Street, where tech firms were again under pressure as fears over vast AI investments and extended valuations gained momentum. While the extreme volatility that greeted the start of the week has calmed, traders remained on edge over the impact of artificial intelligence on companies' bottom lines. The latest development to spook markets was news that AI startup Anthropic -- which created the Claude chatbot -- had unveiled a tool that could be used by firms to carry out legal work. Tuesday's announcement hit firms in the software, financial services and asset management industries, though analysts said there has been a general shift by investors out of tech following years of eye-watering gains, and into other industries. An underwhelming response to earnings from titans including Alphabet, ARM and Microsoft has aided that move, which also comes as questions are raised about the wisdom of pumping hundreds of billions into AI with little idea about the timing of returns. "The rout reflects growing unease about how quickly AI could disrupt existing business models and whether incumbent software companies can defend their margins," wrote Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG. "Investors are pricing in the risk that new AI-native competitors could undercut pricing and erode market share across the sector." Fiona Cincotta at City Index said: "Investors rotating into more cyclical names as fears over AI-driven disruption weighed on the market." And she warned that "while losses in tech continue, sentiment remains fragile". The rotation was evident in New York, where the tech-heavy Nasdaq shed 1.5 percent while the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.5 percent. The selling extended into Asia, where Seoul -- which has cruised more than 20 percent to multiple record ...
The US Might Make The Sahelian Alliance An Offer That It Can't Refuse Authored by Andrews Korybko, Its members might be told by the Bureau of African Affairs’ chief to let the US replace or at least “balance” Russia’s role as their top security partner under implied pain of US-backed Nigerian military pressure on anti-terrorist pretexts, French-backed terrorist advances, and/or US anti-terrorist s...
The US Might Make The Sahelian Alliance An Offer That It Can't Refuse Authored by Andrews Korybko, Its members might be told by the Bureau of African Affairs’ chief to let the US replace or at least “balance” Russia’s role as their top security partner under implied pain of US-backed Nigerian military pressure on anti-terrorist pretexts, French-backed terrorist advances, and/or US anti-terrorist strikes. The US’ Bureau of African Affairs announced over the weekend that its chief will travel to Bamako “to convey the United States’ respect for Mali’s sovereignty and desire to chart a new course in the bilateral relationship and move past policy missteps.” They added that “The United States looks forward to discussing next steps for enhancing U.S.-Mali cooperation and consulting with other governments in the region, including Burkina Faso and Niger, on shared security and economic interests.” The rapidly evolving geostrategic context is very relevant. It follows the US bombing ISIS in Nigeria on Christmas, which was assessed here as possibly signaling the start of a more robust anti-terrorist partnership that could eventually serve as the pretext for the US-backed Nigerian destabilization of the Sahelian Alliance (AES per its French acronym) on such pretexts. The AES comprises neighboring Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali, the latter of which experienced the first patriotic military coup in the region. The bloc is also transforming into a confederation and is militarily allied with Russia, which aids them with their “ Democratic Security ” tasks of ensuring political stability and countering terrorist threats. On that topic, reported coup attempts aren’t uncommon (especially in Burkina Faso) and terrorists have been advancing since the AES expelled France, which they accuse of being behind all of this as revenge. France’s strategic setbacks in the Sahel over the past few years damaged its image as a Great Power. If the US can get the AES to let it to replace or at least “b...
申訴專員指醫委會監察存問題 醫衞局：參考建議提修例 衞生署稱積極跟進 To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 【有線新聞】醫衞局歡迎申訴專員公署報告，又表示會參考報告內容及建議，上半年向立法會提交醫生註冊條例修例草案。...
申訴專員指醫委會監察存問題 醫衞局：參考建議提修例 衞生署稱積極跟進 To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 【有線新聞】醫衞局歡迎申訴專員公署報告，又表示會參考報告內容及建議，上半年向立法會提交醫生註冊條例修例草案。醫衞局已就修例諮詢病人組織、兩所本地醫學院、香港醫學專科學院、香港醫學會等專業團體。 衞生署則感謝公署對醫委會工作提出的意見，並會接納和積極跟進建議，致力協助醫委會優化投訴處理機制，提升工作效率。