Market News

• Prior -0.5%; revised to +0.2%

The breakdown shows an increase in retail sales for food, drinks, tobacco (+0.3%), offset by a decline in sales for non-food products (-0.2%) and automotive fuel in specialised stores (-1.1%). But relative to the same month last year, euro area retail sales is at least seen up 2.0%. The monthly trend:

•  Asian Stock Markets : Nikkei up 1.36%, Shanghai Composite up 0.84%, Hang Seng up 0.75% ASX up 0.24%
• Commodities : Gold at $5,191.90 (1.11%) Silver at $84.945 (2.11%), Brent Oil at $83.79 (1.64%), WTI Oil at $77.20 (3.39%)
• Rates : US 10-year yield at 4.114, UK 10-year yield at 4.4440, Germany 10-year yield at 2.7459

• (USD) ADP Non-Farm Employment Change  63K  to 50K  expected

Asian stock markets traded mostly higher on Thursday, following broadly positive cues from Wall Street overnight. Technology stocks led the gains across the region, mirroring the strength seen on the tech-heavy Nasdaq. Markets in South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Indonesia posted notable…

•  Asian Stock Markets : Nikkei up 1.36%, Shanghai Composite up 0.84%, Hang Seng up 0.75% ASX up 0.24%
• Commodities : Gold at $5,191.90 (1.11%) Silver at $84.945 (2.11%), Brent Oil at $83.79 (1.64%), WTI Oil at $77.20 (3.39%)
• Rates : US 10-year yield at 4.114, UK 10-year yield at 4.4440, Germany 10-year yield at 2.7459

• (USD) ADP Non-Farm Employment Change  63K  to 50K  expected

Asian stock markets traded mostly higher on Thursday, following broadly positive cues from Wall Street overnight. Technology stocks led the gains across the region, mirroring the strength seen on the tech-heavy Nasdaq. Markets in South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Indonesia posted notable…

The volatile trading continues on the week and it's tough to hold any intraday convictions. S&P 500 futures were down by as much as 0.5% earlier on but have now climbed back up to pare losses to be up 0.1% on the day.

The only plausible headline I'm seeing that ties closely is one reported by Sky News Arabia, in citing Iran's foreign ministry as to saying that they might consider abandoning its nuclear program "if the US makes an attractive enough alternative offer". Quite frankly, the odds of that are almost nil I would say. We're already seeing both sides wage a war and Trump is not going to be patient enough to go back to the negotiating table.

As US futures bounce, European indices are also now turning positive with slight gains on the…

• Prior 46.4

Residential building was the main reason for the drag in overall construction activity in February, being the weakest-performing segment (37.0) once again. That being said, there were also contractions in both commercial construction activity (46.5) and civil engineering work (41.0) with the latter slumping to its softest since September last year.

S&P Global notes that:

"A sharper downturn in house building was the main factor behind the setback for UK construction activity in February, following some signs of stabilisation at the start of 2026. Total industry activity has decreased in each month since January 2025 and the latest decline was faster than seen on average over this period. The reduction in output was largely due to…

IC Markets Global – Asia Fundamental Forecast | 05 March 2026

What happened in the U.S. session?

US markets steadied with gains in major indices on March 4, buoyed by a robust ISM Services PMI at 56.1 (highest in over three years) indicating strong services expansion despite Middle East tensions from US-Iran conflict that spiked oil and pressured stocks overnight; oil prices moderated, supporting the rebound while lifting Treasury yields and the dollar, with equities most responsive to both data beats and de-escalation hopes.

What does it mean for the Asia Session?

Volatile open driven by lingering Middle‑East‑linked oil‑price and inflation concerns, ongoing repricing of global bonds, and the start of China’s National People’s…

US Stock Indices Bounce Back on Peace Hopes – Nasdaq up 1.3%

US equity markets advanced solidly, brushing aside ongoing concerns surrounding the Middle East conflict after reports suggested Iran may be prepared to reopen negotiations with the United States. The improvement in sentiment saw the Dow rise 0.49% to close at 48,739, while the S&P 500 gained 0.78% to finish at 6,869. Technology stocks outperformed, lifting the Nasdaq 1.29% to 22,807. In currency markets, the DXY eased 0.27% to 98.80, surrendering some of its recent strength as risk appetite improved. US Treasury yields continued to push higher after stronger US data, with the 2-year yield rising 3.9 basis points to 3.548% and the 10-year yield climbing 3.6 basis points to…

Sky News Arabia reported that Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister said "Iran is ready to abandon its nuclear program on condition that the United States presents a satisfactory alternative offer".

Yesterday, we got the news that Iran has been secretly contacting the US to reach a deal and end the conflict, although Iran dismissed those reports as fake news.

These are clear signs of de-escalation, and we might just need the US or Israel saying that they reached their objectives to see the markets cheering.