WTI Crude (Apr'22)

Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 3% on Wednesday, closing at 28,040.16 as shares of SoftBank Group jumped 7.22% while Fast Retailing climbed 5.21%.

Hong Kong-listed shares of Alibaba soared after the firm announced an upsizing of its share repurchase program from $15 billion to $25 billion.

Fed Chair Powell on Monday said “inflation is much too high” and added that rates could increase more than the previously approved 25 basis points if needed.

U.S. stock futures dropped slightly Monday after strong gains last week.

U.S. stock futures were little changed Monday after strong gains last week.

European stocks closed slightly higher on Monday as the Russia-Ukraine war continued to weigh on global market sentiment.

China’s one-year loan prime rate was kept unchanged at 3.7% on Monday, largely in line with expectations from a Reuters survey.

U.S. stock futures dropped Friday, but the S&P 500 remained on track for its best week since November 2020.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index slipped 0.41% on Friday but still saw its first positive week in five following a big gains on Wednesday and Thursday.

Hedge funds have ramped up their commodity bets as prices surged during geopolitical turmoil, and managers with big exposure are reaping sizable profits.

The three major U.S. stock indexes are on pace for their best weekly performance of the year, following a strong rally Wednesday.

The Fed sees six more interest rate hikes ahead in 2022, while Russia claims it made a key interest payment on foreign debt.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index led gains among the region’s major markets, surging 7.04% to close at 21,501.23 and erasing heavy losses from earlier in the week.

The International Energy Agency said 3 million barrels per day of Russian production could be lost beginning next month, squeezing an already tight global oil market.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index closed 9.08% higher on Wednesday but remains down more than 2% so far this week after seeing heavy losses on Monday and Tuesday.

Stocks gyrated Wednesday after the Fed was more aggressive than traders expected in its rate forecast.

The Fed is expected to raise interest rates by a quarter point, a major step in reversing the easing it put in place to help the economy through the pandemic.

WTI crude fell below $100 per barrel, and February wholesale inflation data also came in cooler than Wall Street expected.

Oil prices came under pressure as a number of factors weighed on the market, including the Russia-Ukraine war and a potential slowdown in demand from China.

Stock futures are little changed Tuesday morning, while WTI crude fell below $100 per barrel.