Friday’s trading brought a strong wave of optimism to Asian markets. Regional indices surged to their highest levels in more than three years, driven by easing geopolitical tensions and renewed hopes for trade deals. At the same time, the U.S. dollar came under pressure, hitting its lowest point in over three and a half years and heading for its biggest half-year decline since the 1970s.

🔹 Asia Celebrates Records, Investor Sentiment Improves

The MSCI Asia-Pacific index (excluding Japan) climbed to its highest point since November 2021 and was on track for a weekly gain of around 3%. Japan’s Nikkei jumped 1.5%, briefly surpassing the psychological barrier of 40,000 points for the first time since January.

The optimism in Asia followed a strong Thursday on Wall Street, where U.S. stocks rallied on growing investor confidence in an imminent Fed rate cut. European index futures also gained – EUROSTOXX 50 and DAX rose over 0.6%, while the UK’s FTSE added 0.16%.

🔹 Dollar Under Pressure: Markets Expect Fed Shift and Possible Leadership Change

The U.S. dollar fell to its lowest level since 2021 on Friday. It has lost over 10% since the start of the year and is on course for its biggest half-year drop since the free-floating currency system began in the 1970s.

Behind the weakening dollar are growing speculations of political pressure on the Federal Reserve. According to the Wall Street Journal, President Trump may replace Fed Chair Jerome Powell – possibly as early as September. Markets are increasingly pricing in an imminent rate cut.

The euro rose to $1.1745 – its highest level since September 2021. The pound climbed to $1.3733. The U.S. dollar index stood at 97.378, heading for its sixth consecutive monthly loss.

🔹 Oil Plunges, Gold Slightly Down

On commodity markets, oil drew the most attention. While it rebounded slightly on Friday – Brent crude added 0.52% to $68.08 per barrel, and U.S. WTI rose 0.61% to $65.54 – both benchmarks were still down over 10% for the week. The ceasefire between Iran and Israel eased fears of supply disruptions.

Meanwhile, gold, which has recently hit record highs, corrected slightly – down 0.23% to $3,320.25 per ounce.

🔹 Tensions Easing, Trade Talks Accelerating

Investors welcomed diplomatic progress between the U.S. and China. The White House confirmed that both powers are accelerating the supply of strategic resources, including rare earths. A positive signal also came from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who called for “fast and simple” trade deals within the EU.

Bond markets remained stable – U.S. 10-year Treasury yields held at 4.2554%, and 2-year yields at 3.7418%.

Summary:

After a turbulent period, global investors are finally breathing a sigh of relief. A weakening dollar, calm in the Middle East, and improved trade outlooks have created a wave of positive sentiment in the markets. Whether this holds through the summer will largely depend on the Fed – and who leads it.



#Asia , #stockmarket , #dollar , #bond , #worldnews

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