Bloomberg Daybreak: Asia Edition

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President Donald Trump said the war in Iran is “very close” to completion, even as he signaled strikes could escalate in the near term.  

Trump in a rare prime-time address on Wednesday cast the war as a success, saying the operation had nearly achieved its military goals, including destroying Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, air force, navy and industrial base. He said those steps would prevent Tehran’s proxies from destabilizing the region and cut off the country’s path to nuclear weapons.

“Tonight I’m pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are nearing complet...

President Donald Trump said he foresaw the US ending the war on Iran within two to three weeks, suggesting the US had largely accomplished its military goals and would leave it to other nations to resolve issues with the Strait of Hormuz. Wall Street rallied today on optimism that the war that has jolted global markets and disrupted energy supplies may be nearing a conclusion. We spoke to Ross Mayfield, Investment Strategist for Baird Private Wealth Management.

And for more on President Trump's latest comments on war in Iran, we heard from Jessica Genauer, Academic Director of...

Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Host Nathan Hager take a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week.

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Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

The White House insisted that peace talks with Iran are ongoing, even as Tehran publicly rejected US overtures and issued fresh conditions of its own to end the conflict that's wreaked havoc across the Middle East and global markets. For more, we heard from Rosemary Kelanic, Middle East Program Director at Defense Priorities. She spoke to Bloomberg's Haidi Stroud-Watts and Shery Ahn

Plus - The Asia Pacific Financial and Innovation Symposium is underway in Melbourne. Bloomberg's Haidi Stroud-Watts speaks exclusively to Sam Sicilia, CIO at Hostplus, one of...

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Oil declined and equities advanced as optimism strengthened around Washington's diplomatic push to resolve the near month-long Middle East conflict. We heard from Todd Jablonski, CIO and Global Head of Multi-Asset and Quant at Principal Asset Management. He spoke to Bloomberg's David Ingles and Yvonne Man.  

Plus - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is open to restarting talks with Beijing on a joint oil and gas project in a disputed area of the South China Sea, saying the war in Iran may provide the impetus for a breakthrough. H...

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

President Donald Trump said the US would postpone strikes against Iran's energy infrastructure after what he called "productive conversations" with the country, in comments that spurred confusion over the participants in the talks and parameters of a deal. For more on the market reaction, we heard from Suresh Tantia, Head CIO Asia Equity Strategy at UBS Global Wealth Management. He spoke to Bloomberg's Haidi Stroud-Watts and Shery Ahn.

Plus - for more analysis on President Trump's latest announcement on Iran, we heard from Randa Slim, Middle East Program...

Stocks and bonds rebounded after President Donald Trump said the US and Iran had “very good” conversations about an end to the conflict in the Middle East.  
President rump said strikes against Iranian energy infrastructure and power plants would be postponed for five days following the start of talks with Iran to end the war.  
For details on this development, Tom Keene and Paul Sweeney speak with Bloomberg Middle East Reporter Joumanna Bercetche, Silvercrest Asset Management Head of Investment Policy & Strategy Robert Teeter, and Veda Partners Co-Founder Henrietta Treyz.

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Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Stocks fell and oil whipsawed in a volatile start to trading, as the war in Iran entered a fourth week with no sign of de-escalation. Treasuries extended their selloff. Martin Schulz, Head of International Equity Group at Federated Hermes spoke to Bloomberg's Haidi Stroud-Watts and Annabelle Droulers on the Asia Trade. 

Plus - The Milken Institute's Global Investors' Symposium is taking place this week in Hong Kong, bringing together some of the world's most influental investors and business leaders in the Asia Pacific. Bloomberg's Minmin Low spoke to P...

Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Host Alexis Christoforous take a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week.

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Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Brent crude traded above $112 per barrel as strikes between Iran and Israel on critical energy facilities — which also caused extensive damage to the world's largest liquefied natural gas export plant in Qatar — raised concerns of a more lasting impact from the conflict. We speak to Sing Yee Ong, Bloomberg's Asia Energy Reporter.

Plus - Federal Reserve officials left interest rates unchanged and continued to expect one rate cut this year as they acknowledged increased uncertainty due to war in the Middle East. Chair Jerome Powell emphasized that to resu...

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Asian equities rose while oil edged lower, suggesting investors are trying to look past near-term geopolitical uncertainty and find a measure of stability in markets. We speak to Lianting Tu, Managing Editor for Asia Equities.

Plus - US President Donald Trump abandoned his effort to recruit partners for the war with Iran and scolded allies who openly rejected his appeals, even as he repeated claims the conflict would end soon. The US and Israel nonetheless kept up their attacks with little clarity on when operations would end, with...

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Asian equities rose at the open after optimism that more tankers would be able to pass through the crucial Strait of Hormuz lifted gauges on Wall Street. Risk appetite was also boosted by expectations that major economies could release petroleum reserves to offset potential supply disruptions, after President Donald Trump renewed calls for allies to help safeguard the Strait of Hormuz. Threats to flows through the vital shipping lane continued to fan inflation worries as investors brace for a slate of central-bank meetings this week. We speak to Paul Dobson...

Oil erased early gains as traders sought to gauge the impact to supply after US attacks on Iran's main export hub, another escalation in the war that's all but cut off global customers from the region's energy supplies for more than two weeks. We spoke to Steven Schoenfeld, CEO at MarketVector Indexes.

Plus - The world's top central banks convene this week facing a renewed inflation threat from the war in Iran and the possibility that they'll be forced to delay interest-rate cuts and in some cases consider hikes. Changes aren't imminent yet: The Federal Reserve, the...

Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Host Nathan Hager take a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week.

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Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Asian stocks followed their US peers lower in early trading Friday, with oil prices in focus on growing fears that the war in Iran will further crimp energy supplies and boost inflation. Brent oil traded near $100 a barrel as both US President Donald Trump and Iran's new supreme leader struck defiant tones, with the latter saying the Strait of Hormuz should remain shut. Preventing Iran from having nuclear weapons and threatening the Middle East is "of far greater interest and importance to me" than the cost of oil, Trump said...

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Oil's advance showed concerns over an escalating Iran war outweighed relief offered by an emergency release of crude reserves by wealthy nations. The US plans to release 172 million barrels from its emergency oil reserve as nations around the world work to ease surging crude and fuel prices. That's part of the plan by member countries of the International Energy Agency to discharge 400 million barrels from reserves globally, its largest-ever release. For more analysis, we spoke to Mark Cranfield, Bloomberg's MLIV Strategist.

And for markets perspective on the oil...

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Volatility in oil prices continue to dominate the markets. The International Energy Agency proposed biggest-ever release of oil reserves the Wall Street Journal reported. Brent crude initially declined. then swung between gains and losses following WSJ report; stocks rose. Earlier in the day, the oil market was buffeted by confusion over whether the US Navy escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz. Energy Secretary Chris Wright claimed that was the case in a post on social media. Later, however, the post on X was deleted. Then in a...

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

President Donald Trump said he would waive oil-related sanctions, have the US Navy escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz and predicted on Monday that the war with Iran would resolve "very soon" as he confronted mounting economic and political pressure and days of dramatic fluctuations in oil markets. The president said he didn't believe the conflict would be over this week, but insisted the operation was ahead of schedule and looked to shore up investors increasingly concerned about energy prices. He vowed bombing "at a much, much harder level"...

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Crude oil surged above $100 a barrel for the first time since 2022 due to escalating hostilities in the Middle East and worsening strains on oil shipping, sending stocks and Treasuries lower. Brent climbed 18% to around $109 a barrel, adding to last week's 28% surge. Traders are braced for further upheaval with the Iran conflict entering a second week, major producers curbing output and traffic through the crucial Strait of Hormuz effectively halted. For more on how this affects the markets, we spoke to Paul Dobson, Executive Editor for Asia Markets.

Plus...

Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Host Nathan Hager take a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week.

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Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

The US-Israeli offensive against Iran has rattled energy markets, driving crude oil to multi-year highs on fears that disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz may choke supplies and reignite inflation. That came as equity investors confront stretched valuations after an artificial intelligence-fueled rally pushed stocks to elevated levels. We spoke to Winnie Wu, Head of APAC Equity Strategy at Bank of America Global Research.

Plus - Goldman Sachs Natural Gas Research Head Samantha Dart says a scenario where Brent crude prices cross the 100 dollar threshold as "possible" if...

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Asian equities rebounded, with South Korea leading gains after its worst rout on record, as sentiment showed signs of a recovery following an initial bout of volatility sparked by the Middle East conflict. In China, they set a growth target of 4.5% to 5%, its most modest in more than three decades, in a shift towards more sustainable growth drivers. For more, we turn to Lianting Tu, Bloomberg's Managing Editor for Asia Equities.

Plus - Goldman Sachs Group Chief Executive Officer David Solomon said he's watching the private credit market...

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

The US-Israeli attack on Iran has destabilized the Middle East and threatens to deliver a new inflationary shock to the US economy by pushing up oil prices. There's also no clear sense of when or how it will end, raising the prospect of prolonged conflict and unforeseen consequences beyond the White House's control. Focus is on oil amid fresh attacks which flared in the Middle East as traders weighed a US plan to insure and escort tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz, with traffic in the vital waterway all...

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Traders remained focused on oil with the commodity extending gains as the US and Israel stepped up their war against Iran, while Tehran threatened a full closure of the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial waterway for the movement of oil. Brent rose toward $79 a barrel after spiking about 7% on Monday. We spoke to Stephen Stapczynski, Bloomberg's Team Leader for Asia Energy.

Plus - The US sent conflicting messages about how long a war with Iran might last as Israel launched new airstrikes on Monday, with the widening conflict re...

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Oil surged by the most in four years, before paring some gains as traders assessed the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz triggered by the US-Israeli war against Iran. For more on the markets, we turn to Paul Dobson, Bloomberg's Executive Editor for Asia Markets.

Plus - President Donald Trump said the bombing campaign against Iran will continue until its objectives are achieved, calling on the nation's leaders to capitulate as a report indicated at least one top official in Tehran sought to resume nuclear talks with...

The US and Israel began striking targets across Iran, with President Donald Trump urging Iranians to overthrow the government in a conflict that threatens to spiral across the oil-rich Middle East.   

“The hour for your freedom is at hand,” Trump said, addressing Iranians in a video posted on Truth Social on Saturday. “When we’re finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.”   

The military campaign could be a defining moment for Trump, risking a drawn-out regional war that leads to a surge in energy pric...

Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Host Nathan Hager take a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week.

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Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Japanese tech stocks showed mixed performance today, with the broader market experiencing modest movements and individual tech names displaying varied results. Also, a Tokyo inflation gauge eased to the slowest pace in more than a year as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's utility subsidies curbed household energy costs. We speak to Alice French, Bloomberg's Japan Stocks Reporter.. 

Plus -  US and Iranian officials ended the latest round of nuclear talks in Geneva on Thursday by agreeing to reconvene as soon as next week, opening the door to further diplomacy ev...

Nvidia gave another bullish forecast for quarterly revenue. CEO Jensen Huang said the enterprise adoption of AI agents is skyrocketing. That suggests it's not just hyperscalers buying Nvidia's products, corporations are as well. Fiscal first-quarter sales will be about $78 billion, the chipmaker said in a statement Wednesday. Though the average Wall Street estimate was $72.8 billion, some analysts had projected numbers approaching $80 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. To break down the latest earnings, we spoke to Daniel Newman, CEO at the Futurum Group.

Plus - Asian shares climbed for a fourth day as recent turmoil sparked...

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Asian markets are outperforming the US and Europe, drawing global investors into AI supply-chain names such as chipmakers in South Korea and Taiwan. By contrast, US equities are under pressure as lingering uncertainty over President Donald Trump's tariffs and fears of AI-driven disruption prompt traders to shed shares of companies seen as vulnerable to displacement. For more on the markets, we speak to Lianting Tu, Bloomberg's Managing Editor for Asia Equities.

Plus - for additional analysis on the AI trade, we heard from Aoifinn Devitt, Managing Director at...

Early moves on Monday indicated investors were beginning to price in a higher risk premium for US assets. Hours after the Supreme Court struck down his sweeping reciprocal tariffs on Friday, President Donald Trump imposed a new 10% global levy and vowed to use other powers to maintain his signature tariff policies. On Saturday, he said he will raise that new tariff to 15%, stoking fresh economic turbulence. For more on what this means for the markets, we speak to Carol Schleif, Chief Market Strategist at BMO Private Wealth.

Plus - Senior US officials said President Donald Trump's tariff...

Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Host Nathan Hager take a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week.

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The US Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs, undercutting his signature economic policy and delivering his biggest legal defeat since he returned to the White House.

Voting 6-3, the court said Trump exceeded his authority by invoking a federal emergency-powers law to impose his “reciprocal” tariffs across the globe as well as targeted import taxes the administration says address fentanyl trafficking.

The justices didn’t address the extent to which importers are entitled to refunds, leaving it to a lower court to sort out those issues. If fully allowed, refunds could to...

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Asian equities fell and oil rose to its highest level since August as escalating tensions in Iran weighed on sentiment. We get perspective from Paul Dobson, Bloomberg's Executive Editor for Asia Markets.

Plus - The US military is stationing a vast array of forces in the Middle East, including two aircraft carriers, fighter jets and refueling tankers, with President Donald Trump saying that Iran had 10 to 15 days at most to strike a deal over its nuclear program. We heard from Barbara Slavin, Distinguished Fellow at the Stimson Center...

Sanae Takaichi was reappointed as Japan's Prime Minister following her resounding electoral win, a formality that allows her to turn her attention to expediting passage of the annual budget and implementing a trade deal agreed with US President Donald Trump.

Shifting drinking patterns and rising health concerns are leading to a long term decline in alcohol consumption worldwide. Many liquor companies are being forced to diversify. Kirin is no exception. It is a Japanese beer company. The company is diversifying and making a full scale push into health sciences to help drive growth. We heard from Toru...

Japan plans to invest $36 billion in US oil, gas and critical mineral projects, the first tranche of its $550 billion commitment under the trade agreement it struck with President Donald Trump.  "Our MASSIVE Trade Deal with Japan has just launched!" Trump posted Tuesday on social media. "The scale of these projects are so large, and could not be done without one very special word, TARIFFS." The most significant investment is a natural gas facility in Ohio that's expected to generate 9.2 gigawatts of power, according to a statement from Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, a massive project which Trump described as "the l...

Asian stocks were poised for a subdued start Tuesday, with holiday-thinned trading keeping volumes light as investors await a fresh round of economic data later this week for direction. Mainland China and Hong Kong are shut for Lunar New Year holidays. Investors are also paying attention to the shifts in sentiment around artificial intelligence, which may reverberate far beyond the technology sector with the emergence of the so-called AI scare trade. We speak to Stephanie Leung, Chief Investment Officer at StashAway. 

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Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Japan's economic output in the fourth quarter of 2025 was much weaker than expected, registering anemic growth after a deep contraction in the previous period, underscoring the case for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's proactive spending policies following her election triumph. For more on the latest reading and the market moves, we spoke to Mark Cranfield, Bloomberg's MLIV Strategist.

Plus - we go to earnings news. In Australia, the country's biggest steel maker, BlueScope said its first half net profit more than doubled. The company signaled higher payouts to shareholders...

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Europe’s fate is intertwined with the US while faulting the continent for what he said was a drift away from their shared Western values. 
The double-edged message offered some reassurance to allied leaders gathered at the Munich Security Conference but did little to temper their push for more independence from Washington. 
“We want Europe to prosper because we’re interconnected in so many different ways, and because our alliance is so critical,” Rubio told Bloomberg News Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait on the sidelines of the conference on Saturday. “But it has to be an all...