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Informist, Monday, May 18, 2026                                      Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

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Equity Alert: Most Asian indices fall, West Asia tensions, crude prices weigh

 

MUMBAI--0822 IST--Stock indices in Asia begin the week on a weak note after US President Donald Trump issued a fresh threat to Iran, warning the West Asian nation "to get moving." The meeting between Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping failed to provide clarity on how and when the war in West Asia would cease. Brent crude oil futures surged above $110 per barrel again.

 

"For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won't be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!," US President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social. 

 

To shield itself from the impact of the war in West Asia, Japan's government will likely issue fresh debt, Reuters reported. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is planning on setting up a supplementary budget, but the size of it is yet to be decided, the media agency said. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Japanese government bond to 2.8%, its highest level since October 1996.

 

China's industrial production output grew 4.1% on year in April. This is significantly lower than Reuters' expectations of a 5.9% increase. The country's retail sales rose just 0.2% in April, sharply down from a 1.7% rise in March. Reuters had expected retail sales to grow 2% in April.

 

The following were the levels of major Asian indices at 0819 IST:

 

Index	Level	Change in %
CSI 300 Index	4858.5879	(-)0.02
Hang Seng Index	25632.37	(-)1.27
Nikkei 225 Day	60846.54	(-)0.92
TOPIX FIRST SECTION	3834.10	(-)0.77
KOSPI	7618.91	1.68
S&P/ASX 200 Index	8523.40	(-)1.24

 

(Ruchira Kagita)

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Equity Alert: US Indices end lower Fri; inflation concerns weigh 

 

MUMBAI--0746 IST--Wall Street indices ended lower on Friday. Elevated crude oil prices near $110 per barrel and a hotter-than-expected inflation print, which dented hopes of a near-term interest rate cut, dampened market sentiment. Further, treasury yields rose sharply, with the benchmark US 10-year yield up over 4.5%

 

A crucial meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing ended on a good note but provided no significant headway into ending the war in West Asia and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Trump had said that Xi agreed on the need to open up the strait, according to a Reuters report, but China did not issue any formal statement on this.

 

In the week gone by, the S&P 500 gained for the seventh consecutive week, but the NASDAQ snapped its six-week gaining streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, meanwhile, posted weekly losses after seeing gains for the two prior weeks.

 

"There's a realisation that the market had gotten way ahead of itself," Kenny Polcari, chief market strategist at Slatestone Wealth in Jupiter, told Reuters. "It wasn't paying enough attention to what the bond market and economic data is telling it. It was caught up in this momentum AI trade," Polcari said. 

 

Investors will keep an eye out for Nvidia's earnings on Wednesday. Retail majors Target and Walmart will also post their earnings this week.

 

Jerome Powell's eight-year term as the chair of the Federal Reserve ended Friday. He was, however, nominated to be the chair pro tempore until Kevin Warsh is sworn in as the new chair. 

 

The following were the closing levels of major US indices on Friday:

 

US Indices	Levels	Change in %
Dow Jones Industrial Average	49526.17	(-)1.07
NASDAQ Composite	26225.145	(-)1.54
S&P 500	7408.50	(-)1.24

 

(Ruchira Kagita)

 

US$1 = INR 95.97

IST, or Indian Standard Time, is five-and-a-half hours ahead of GMT

 

Edited by Avishek Dutta

 

All prices from National Stock Exchange, unless otherwise specified.

All percentage changes for share prices are rounded off to the nearest whole number; percentage changes for index values are rounded off to one decimal place.

All times are Indian Standard Time.

 

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