ASIA/PACIFIC
-The Australian stock market ended lower on Friday dragged down by banks. Rio Tinto shed 0.7 percent after reports suggested that it had held talks with Glencore last year
-Asian markets traded as China’s Q4 GDP beat expectations with a 5.4% growth, retail sales in December jumped 3.7% from a year earlier and industrial output expanded 6.2% from a year earlier.
-Japanese markets fell slightly as the yen surged amid expectations of a Bank of Japan rate hike next week.
. EUROPE
-European markets closed higher and London’s FTSE 100 ended the session at a record high.
-Swiss multinational commodity trading and mining company Glencore had been in talks with Rio Tinto to combining part or all of their businesses, Bloomberg reported.
-ECB Governing Council member Yannis Stournaras said on Thursday that “policy should continue with a series of rate cuts at the next meetings.” Traders expect a 100-basis point cut from ECB this year.
. AMERICAS
North America
-U.S. stocks closed sharply higher as the three major averages posted their first weekly gain of the new year.
Latin America
-Headwinds may blow harder for LatAm bonds, Latin Finance reported.
-Moody’s Ratings released a report on Thursday projecting a stable sovereign credit outlook 2025 for Latin America and the Caribbean.
. AFRICA
-Nigeria Exchange’s Oil and Gas Index emerged as the best-performing sector in 2024, surging by an outstanding 160%, accordding to Nairametrics.
-New funds on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange may cause a stir, Fin24 reported.
-African banks lead IPO surge across stock markets in 2025 with listings expected in Abidjan, Libreville, Douala, Tunis, and Algiers according to Dabafinance.
. MIDDLE EAST
-International government bonds issued by Egypt increased on January 15th after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement, according to Reuters.
-UAE stock market regulator SCA appoints new head Waleed Saeed Abdul Salam Al Awadhi after Dr Maryam Al Suwaidi, the first woman to hold the position, stepped down.
-Saudi Arabia’s Lamasat Company has set its initial public offering (IPO) price range on the Nomu-Parallel Market between SAR 5.25 and SAR 5.75 ($1.40-1.53) per share. The company is expected to raise between SAR 31.5 million and SAR 34.5 million from the IPO.
. COMMODITIES
GOLD
Spot gold eased 0.4% to $2,701.03 per ounce, while U.S. gold futures settled 0.1% lower to $2,748.70, according to Reuters.
SILVER-PLATINUM-PALLADIUM
Spot silver slipped 2% to $30.17 per ounce, palladium rose 1% to $949.99 while platinum added 0.9% to $940.28.
OIL
Brent crude futures lost 50 cents to close at $80.79 per barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate
crude futures dropped 80 cents to settle at $77.88 a barrel.