China–Japan flight cancellations surge, expected to hit one-month high on Dec. 27Barclays: Risk assets, USD poised for firmer footing into 2026Reserve Bank of India reported intervening in FX market to support the rupeeBarclays: Powell likely to break close FOMC split in favour of cutShares of major Chinese chip makers have slid to multi-month lows – old NVDA storySouth Korea sees scope to cooperate with Taiwan on US chip tariffsJapan’s early 2026 wage signals strengthen case for BOJ rate hikeWSJ’s Timiraos: New Fed chair may struggle to deliver Trump’s desired rate cutsUBS: AI and tech to power global equity gains through 2026PBOC sets USD/ CNY reference rate for today at 7.0847 (vs. estimate at 7.1162)Goldman Sachs projects AI $8tn payoff, cautions its largely priced in US equity valuationsICYMI – Japanese markets are closed for a holiday today.US and Ukraine refine peace plan as major hurdles remainNZIER Shadow Board majority recommends a 25bp RBNZ OCR cut to 2.25% this weekSwiss inflation to rise slightly, zero-rate stance remains appropriate says SNB’s SchlegelUS markets (Globex) are open for the new week’s trade, equity index futures gap higherBoston Fed’s Collins undecided on next rate move, cites inflation risksJapan signals greater readiness for early yen intervention – may come before 160Trump to unveil plan urging Congress to halt ACA premium spikesRBNZ rate cut expected this week, last one in the cycle? End of AUD/NZD bull run in sightMultiple airlines have suspended flights to Venezuela citing rising tensionsRubio says Ukraine talks make most productive progress to date, still further talks aheadCanada and India revive stalled talks for major new trade dealMonday morning open levels – indicative forex prices – 24 November 2025Newsquawk Week Ahead: US Retail Sales, RBNZ, UK Budget, Australian CPI, Tokyo CPIinvestingLive Americas market news wrap: Fed’s Williams to the rescue
Major FX pairs traded in subdued ranges with Japanese markets shut for a holiday, draining some liquidity from the session. Local equities were supported by improved sentiment following Friday’s Wall Street rebound and dovish remarks from New York Fed President John Williams.
The key weekend development was renewed US pressure on Ukraine to accept concessions to Russia as Washington pushes for a revised peace framework. Public comments from the White House and Secretary of State Marco Rubio sounded upbeat, but core security and territorial issues remain unresolved.
The ongoing peace discussions have been cited as a factor keeping oil prices under pressure on expectations that a Russia–Ukraine deal could eventually unwind sanctions and release previously restricted Russian supply. Brent and WTI drifted modestly lower. On the flip side, new US sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil came into force Friday, leaving nearly 48 million barrels of Russian crude stranded at sea, a dynamic that could quickly become the new narrative if prices turn higher.
In equities, BHP said it is no longer pursuing a potential combination with Anglo American after preliminary talks, shelving last year’s US$49bn takeover attempt. Meanwhile, Chinese semiconductor stocks slumped to multi-month lows amid chatter that Trump’s team is considering allowing sales of Nvidia’s H200 chips to China — a story that has circulated in various forms for months.
Asia-Pac
stocks:
Japan
(Nikkei 225) % … closed for a holiday MondayHong
Kong (Hang Seng) +1.4%
Shanghai
Composite -0.3%Australia
(S&P/ASX 200) +1.2%
This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at investinglive.com.