Business
Shares steady, oil turbulence deepens over Middle East war fears | The Express Tribune
Investors remain on edge as the Middle East conflict threatens to freeze global energy trade and ignite a price shock
Bull statues near screens showing the Hang Seng stock index and stock prices outside Exchange Square, in Hong Kong, China, February 3, 2026 PHOTO: REUTERS
Shares steadied on Wednesday following a retreat in oil prices, but contradictory signals from the US-Israeli war on Iran kept investors anxious over the risks to inflation and global growth.
A pullback in oil came after the Wall Street Journal reported that the International Energy Agency had proposed the largest release of oil reserves in its history to bring down crude prices, providing some relief to battered global stocks while currencies and bonds were little changed.
Brent crude futures swung between gains and losses in volatile trade, falling 0.4% to $87.45 per barrel, while US crude was up 0.3% at $83.67 a barrel.
“Markets are presently trading on the news flow and the here-and-now rather than being forward-looking,” said Chidu Narayanan, head of APAC macro strategy at Wells Fargo.
“The measures announced, aiming to offset oil supply declines, might be insufficient. It is likely to help on the margin to assuage some of the fears, but as long as the conflict continues, risk aversion is likely to remain elevated.”
Still, regional stocks found some reprieve, with MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan up 1.4%, while the Nikkei rose 1.7% and South Korea’s Kospi advanced 1.75%.
US stock futures also pushed higher after a mixed cash session overnight, with Nasdaq futures and S&P 500 futures adding about 0.2% each.
EUROSTOXX 50 futures slipped 0.12%, while FTSE futures lost 0.14%.
Investors remain on edge as the Middle East conflict threatens to freeze global energy trade and ignite a price shock – a risk that world leaders are scrambling to address.
Read: PSX rebounds after sell-off, KSE-100 gains nearly 9,700 points
Still, energy markets remain hostage to how long – and how intense – the conflict becomes.
“Several major questions loom over the oil market’s trajectory. Chief among them is the timing of safe passage for vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global oil supply,” said Kerstin Hottner, Vontobel’s head of commodities.
“Another concern is the possibility of infrastructure damage… Even if major hostilities subside, the prospect of ongoing low-level Iranian drone attacks on energy infrastructure could prolong market instability into next year.”
Dollar fever
The dollar held to its gains on Wednesday as investors assessed the fallout from the war, with the greenback proving the safe-haven asset of choice in the ongoing market turmoil.
Against the yen, the dollar was up slightly at 158.15, while the euro and sterling were nursing losses and fetched $1.1633 and $1.3450, respectively.
“You have only one safe asset, which has been the US dollar,” said Frank Benzimra, head of Asia equity strategy and multi-asset strategist at Societe Generale.
“Even gold or Treasuries did not play this huge safe-haven role. In the case of Treasuries, because of the inflation concerns, and in the case of gold, because we could see some investors selling their gains in gold to offset some losses in the equity market.”
Bond markets have come under pressure over the past few sessions on risks that the prolonged spike in energy prices could stoke inflation and cause central banks across the globe to turn more hawkish.
Business
India’s FDI inflow may cross $90 billion in FY26, says DPIIT secretary – The Times of India
India’s total foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows are likely to cross $90 billion in 2025-26 after already surpassing $88 billion during April-February, a top government official said on Thursday.DPIIT Secretary Amardeep Singh Bhatia said the government had undertaken a series of policy measures to attract foreign investments into the country, PTI reported.He said that during April-February 2025-26, inflows had crossed $88 billion and were “hopefully crossing $90 billion” for the full fiscal year.According to Bhatia, reform measures, free trade agreements and India’s fast-growing economy are helping the country attract strong investment flows.This reflects continued momentum in foreign investment inflows amid the government’s push to improve ease of doing business and expand global trade linkages.
Business
Oil jumps to highest price since 2022 after report Trump to be briefed on new Iran options
“It does seem as though escalation in the war is back on the table, be it in the guise of the US continuing its blockade in Iran, but also reports and rumours that in order to get out of this bind, Iran may start to strike again,” said Naveen Das, senior oil analyst at Kpler.
Business
Gold, silver price prediction: Will gold head down to Rs 1.40 lakh/10 grams & silver hit Rs 2.20 lakh/kg? – The Times of India
Gold and silver price prediction today: Gold and silver are exhibiting a slightly bearish bias, according to Abhilash Koikkara, Head – Forex & Commodities, Nuvama Professional Clients Group.
MCX Gold Price Outlook
MCX Gold, on the weekly timeframe, has retreated from its recent highs and remained under selling pressure over the past week. From a technical standpoint, prices have faced resistance at a significant trendline, with the daily chart now forming a sequence of lower lows, a classically bearish pattern. A sustained breakout above the trendline, however, could shift sentiment and invite fresh upside. For now, the intermediate trend remains rangebound to negative, reflecting a broader corrective structure, with a firm break below key support potentially accelerating the downside.Looking ahead to the coming week, the region around the weekly low of 140,000 is anticipated to emerge as a pivotal support zone, highlighting its importance from a technical perspective. As the ongoing correction runs its course, prices are expected to test this level making any short-term uptick a potential opportunity for fresh short positions rather than a cause for bullish conviction.Conversely, gold faces a notable resistance wall around the recent peak of 155,500 in the near term. Should prices manage a convincing breakout above this threshold, it would effectively invalidate the current bearish momentum and pave the way for a fresh upside move. A consistent hold above this level, moreover, would offer stronger confirmation that the corrective phase has run its course, and bullish sentiment has reclaimed control.To summarize, gold’s overall bias remains tilted to the downside, supported by a determined negative trend that keeps further losses on the table. The intermediate bearish framework is expected to stay intact so long as prices fail to reclaim the key resistance threshold of 155,500. With momentum indicators reinforcing the bearish case and market sentiment echoing the downside narrative, the metal looks poised to sustain its corrective momentum and press lower in the near term.
MCX Gold Trading Strategy
- CMP: 149,000
- Target: 140,000
- Stoploss: 155,500
MCX Silver Price Outlook
From a weekly standpoint, silver’s price action reflects a sideways to bearish bias, as the silver faces conflict at trendline resistance. The second straight week of negative closes reinforces the case for an intermediate bearish period taking hold. In this setting, we expect traders would be well-served to align their positions with the dominant trend while placing stop-loss levels around the prior weekly highs to effectively manage downside risk.The market opened the week on a weak footing, with prices trading below the 30-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA), a sign that the negative bias remains in force. The bearish outlook is likely to persist as long as prices stay capped under key weekly resistance levels. Immediate support and the near-term target converge around the recent swing lows at 220,000, and a decisive close below this level could further deepen bearish bias. In the interim, any short-term bounce back is expected to be treated as opportunities to sell.To the upside, silver appears poised to challenge the trendline resistance in the area of 255,000 in the coming sessions. If the prices manage a convincing and sustained close above this threshold, it will weaken the ongoing bearish trend, a view currently reinforced by momentum indicators. On balance, the bearish structure is likely to remain dominant as long as 255,000 continues to act as a ceiling, paving the way for additional downside corrections ahead.
MCX Silver Trading Strategy
- CMP: 240,500
- Target: 220,000
- Stoploss: 255,000
(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)
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