
Global markets today: Nikkei 225, Kospi trade higher on US Fed rate cut expectations next month
Japan's Nikkei 225 climbed 1 per cent after hitting a record high on Tuesday, while the broader Topix index gained 0.72 per cent.
In South Korea, the Kospi rose 1.07 per cent, and the small-cap Kosdaq advanced 0.88 per cent. Meanwhile, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 edged up 0.29 per cent.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng index futures were at 25,144, indicating a higher opening versus the previous HSI close of 24,969.68.
US stock benchmarks — the S&P 500 and Nasdaq — closed at record highs on Tuesday after data showing July inflation matched expectations boosted hopes for a Federal Reserve interest rate cut next month.
According to the Labor Department, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 0.2 per cent month-on-month in July, while the annual rate came in slightly below estimates, prompting US President Donald Trump to call for lower interest rates.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 483.52 points, or 1.10 per cent, to 44,458.61. The S&P 500 added 72.31 points, or 1.13 per cent, to 6,445.76, and the Nasdaq Composite jumped 296.50 points, or 1.39 per cent, to 21,681.90.
The U.S. and China provided relief by extending their tariff ceasefire until November 10, preventing the imposition of triple-digit tariffs on each other's goods.
In recent weeks, U.S. equities have gained momentum, supported by robust tech earnings, reduced trade frictions, and growing expectations of interest rate cuts.
(With inputs from agencies)
Disclaimer: This story is for educational purposes only. The views and recommendations above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, not Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.
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Business Standard
15 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Dollar extends losses as Fed rate cut hopes and political pressure grow
The dollar fell for a second straight session on Wednesday, a day after a US inflation reading increased expectations of a Federal Reserve rate cut next month, and renewed pressure from President Donald Trump for lower rates added to the sell-off. The dollar index, measuring the currency against a basket of peers, fell 0.2 per cent to 97.81, its lowest since July 28, extending its 0.5 per cent drop on Tuesday. US consumer prices increased marginally in July, data showed on Tuesday, in line with forecasts and as the pass-through from Trump's sweeping tariffs to goods prices has so far been limited. Investors priced in a 98 per cent chance the central bank would ease rates next month, according to LSEG data. On Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called for a "series of rate cuts," and said the Fed could kick off the policy rate easing with a 50 basis point cut. The day before, US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly criticised Fed Chair Jerome Powell for not easing rates sooner, had added to the pressure on the Fed. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said that the president was considering a lawsuit against Powell in relation to his management of renovations at the central bank's Washington headquarters. "I think there is quite significant pressure on the Fed from the political side of Washington to get moving on interest rates," Shaun Osborne, chief currency strategist at Scotiabank, said. Michael Pfister, FX analyst at Commerzbank, said these political developments carried echoes of autocratic countries, where heads of statistics agencies or central banks are replaced and critical data series often discontinued or manipulated. "I'm not saying that this will necessarily happen here. But the developments of the last few days and weeks do not exactly fill me with optimism about the future, or the US dollar," Pfister said. Trump also hit out at Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, saying the bank had been wrong to predict US tariffs would hurt the economy. Trump questioned whether Solomon should lead the Wall Street institution. The dollar's weakness supported the euro and sterling. The single currency was last up 0.3 per cent to $1.1705, briefly hitting its highest since July 28. Similarly, the British currency rose 0.5 per cent to $1.3572, briefly hitting its highest since July 24. Britain's jobs market weakened again, though wage growth stayed strong, according to data on Tuesday, underscoring why the Bank of England is so cautious about cutting interest rates. The Australian dollar was up 0.3 per cent to $0.6550, while the New Zealand dollar rose 0.5 per cent to $0.5982. The Reserve Bank of Australia on Tuesday cut interest rates as expected, and signalled further policy easing might be needed to meet its inflation and employment goals as the economy lost some momentum. In cryptocurrencies, ether scaled a nearly four-year high of $4,734.47. "Ethereum's quiet breakout is being fuelled by real-world adoption and capital confidence," said Gracie Lin, Singapore CEO of crypto exchange OKX. "On our platform, ETH has now overtaken BTC as the most traded asset over the past month." (Reporting by Joice Alves and Rae Wee; Editing by Kate Mayberry, Giles Elgood and Barbara Lewis) (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)


Mint
15 minutes ago
- Mint
Commerce ministry readies export incentives, credit aid to blunt Trump tariffs
New Delhi: The government will soon announce an economic package to help Indian exporters remain competitive in the overseas markets at a time of severe international trade disruptions caused by US president Donald Trump's tariff tirade. According to a top government official, the commerce ministry has finalized the proposal and sent it to the finance ministry for consideration. The package is designed to give exporters a combination of incentives, policy support and targeted interventions to help them overcome the volatility in global trade. 'We have sent the proposal to the finance ministry, and it is now awaiting clearance from the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) before being placed before the Union cabinet for approval,' the official said on the sidelines of the inauguration of the new building of Intellectual Property Office on Wednesday. The package has been designed to address both immediate operational challenges faced by exporters and medium-term policy hurdles, with a particular emphasis on high-potential sectors that can yield quick gains in overseas shipments, the official added, requesting not to be identified. Mint reported on 8 August that India is preparing to counter stiff US tariffs by pivoting to new markets and offering incentives for exporters, even as prime minister Narendra Modi has vowed to protect the interests of the country's farmers and fishermen. Trump has imposed an additional 25% tariff to punish India for buying Russian oil and weapons, doubling the duty on New Delhi's shipments to Washington to 50% Alongside efforts to secure fresh trading destinations, the government's proposed financial package under the Export Promotion Mission is expected to include raising the duty drawback rate from 1% to as high as 5% to help exporters offset the additional tax burden, and reintroducing the interest equalization scheme (IES), which offers exporters a subsidy on interest rates to lower borrowing costs. These initiatives would be funded through a new ₹ 20,000 crore corpus. Duty drawback refers to the refund of duties collected upon import of goods. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the Export Promotion Mission in the FY26 budget to facilitate easy access to export credit, and help small businesses overcome non-tariff measures in foreign markets, among others. The measures are aimed at cushioning the economy against the potential fallout of the US tariff hike, which some economists warn could trim India's growth by 20 to 30 basis points, bringing it down to around 6.2% in the current fiscal year. The move is being initiated to mitigate the impact of the US tariffs. However, the government is continuing to pursue dialogue to resolve the matter, and no retaliatory measures are currently being considered. Meanwhile, while inaugurating the new building of the Intellectual Property Office, Union minister for commerce and industry Piyush Goyal said that provisions related to intellectual property laws in the country have been simplified to further improve ease of doing business. Keeping in mind the goal of a developed India, suggestions have been invited from all stakeholders to make the IP ecosystem more effective in order to further strengthen the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign, Goyal added. 'The government will take similar steps for laws related to IPR (intellectual property rights), trademarks, and copyrights, in line with the approach taken under the Jan Vishwas Bill to decriminalize business laws. Suggestions will be sought from stakeholders for this process, and if necessary, a completely new legislation may be introduced,' Goyal said. The US tariffs threaten to disrupt trade flows between the two countries, which totalled $86.5 billion in Indian goods exported to the US in the last fiscal year. Sectors like textiles, engineering goods, marine products and gems and jewellery are particularly vulnerable and could see exports fall by as much as 40% if the tariffs persist, according to analysts.


News18
an hour ago
- News18
Trump Tariffs To Have Limited Impact On India's Growth, FY26 Forecast At 6.5%: S&P
S&P says India's GDP likely to grow 6.5% in FY26 despite 50% US duty on Russian oil-linked imports. India's economy is unlikely to face a major slowdown despite higher US tariffs, S&P Global Ratings said on Wednesday, August 13, nearly a week after a 25 percent duty on Indian goods came into effect and American President Donald Trump announced an additional 25 percent levy linked to Russian oil imports. 'We don't think tariffs imposed on India would have much of an impact on economic growth," said YeeFarn Phua, director for sovereign and international public finance ratings, Asia, at S&P Global Ratings, according to a report by Moneycontrol. The agency expects India's GDP to grow 6.5 percent in FY26. Phua told Moneycontrol that exemptions for electronics, especially smartphones and pharmaceuticals will cushion the impact, while India's export exposure to the US is modest at around 2 percent of GDP. Analysts also point to the country's large domestic market as a continued draw for investors, even under higher tariff regimes. India exported goods worth $86.5 billion to the US in FY25, with about 55 percent of this trade at risk from the new duties. The remainder falls under exemption or exclusion categories. The initial 25 percent US tariff is on top of most-favoured nation rates, while the Russia-linked penalty, which doubles tariffs to 50 percent on imports from countries buying Russian oil, will be applicable from August 27, putting India among the most tariffed nations alongside Brazil. An analysis by Moneycontrol estimated India's effective tariff rate at about 32 percent, more than double the Southeast Asian average. Their analysis highlighted that the government expects GDP growth to remain above 6 percent, aided by a favourable monsoon and stable crude oil prices. 'The positive outlook for India remains," Phua was quoted as saying. S&P sees the most pronounced tariff effects within one to two years but cautions that uncertainty could dampen investment sentiment for longer. 'Everyone would minimise their investment to relatively safe levels," said Kim Eng Tan, senior director for APAC sovereign ratings at S&P, while speaking to the outlet. view comments First Published: August 13, 2025, 21:51 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.