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ASX Slips as Ceasefire Frays; Nikkei Surges Past 60,000 on AI Wave

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Forex Market 

ASX Slips as Ceasefire Frays; Nikkei Surges Past 60,000 on AI Wave
Asian equity markets delivered a split session on Friday, with the ASX under pressure as renewed Middle East tensions weighed on risk sentiment, while Japan’s Nikkei powered to record highs on a wave of AI-driven buying. Brent crude climbed back above US$100 after ceasefire talks in Islamabad collapsed entirely and the White House announced a naval blockade of Iranian shipping, reversing the relief rally seen earlier in the week and dragging Australian energy and mining stocks lower. The ASX 200 had snapped a string of recent losses on Thursday, closing up 0.96% at 8,878.1 as easing oil prices and record Wall Street closes fuelled a broad-based rally, but that momentum proved short-lived as diplomatic efforts unravelled overnight.
In Tokyo, the picture was markedly brighter. The Nikkei 225 hit new record highs when Japanese markets reopened after the Golden Week holiday, as investors priced in the global AI rally that had unfolded during the closure. SoftBank surged more than 18%, its largest single-day gain since 2020, while semiconductor names including Tokyo Electron, Advantest and Renesas Electronics all posted strong advances. The breakout above the 60,000 level keeps the technical outlook bullish, with analysts eyeing 65,000 as the next target if AI momentum and global risk appetite remain supportive. The divergence between the two markets underscored a broader theme: geopolitical risk is increasingly being priced on a sector-by-sector basis, with technology and AI beneficiaries decoupling from energy and commodity-linked assets exposed to the ongoing conflict.

General Market

Wall Street

  • Dow Jones: -0.63% to 49,602
  • S&P 500: -0.38% to 7,337
  • Nasdaq: -0.12% to 28,563

Asia-Pacific

  • ASX 200: -1.31% to 8,780
  • Nikkei: +0.90% to 62,634
  • Shanghai Composite: +0.48% to 4,794

Europe

  • FTSE: +0.12% to 10,219
  • DAX: -1.02% to 24,663
  • CAC: -2.45% to 8,123

 

Headlines to Watch

United States

  • NFP + unemployment → core driver of Fed path
  • Jobless claims + wages → labour market cooling signals
  • Services PMI → inflation persistence risk
  • Fed leadership + policy divergence increasingly in focus

Europe

  • ECB speakers → guidance on pace of easing
  • Eurozone growth + industrial activity remain fragile
  • Energy prices and geopolitical spillovers back in focus

Asia-Pacific

  • BoJ intervention risks supporting yen volatility
  • China demand outlook driving AUD and regional sentiment
  • RBA and RBNZ policy expectations remain data dependent
  • Commodity demand trends critical for regional FX direction

Global / Geopolitics

  • US-Iran developments continue driving oil and risk sentiment
  • AI-driven equity momentum supporting broader risk appetite
  • Global bond yields remain sensitive to inflation repricing
  • Trade and supply chain disruptions remain medium-term risk themes
Currency Pair Mid-market Rate
AUD/USD 0.7212
AUD/NZD 1.2143
AUD/JPY 113.14
AUD/CNY 4.9044
AUD/EUR 0.6147
AUD/GBP 0.5319
AUD/HKD 5.6485

 

 

 

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