#asia-pacific-equities

#asia-pacific-equities

U.S. equity markets delivered a strong performance over the past week, supported by improving geopolitical sentiment and renewed investor confidence, with all major indices recording gains exceeding 3%.

China's exports have decelerated as the Iran war starts to affect global demand and supply chains, according to Gary Ng, a senior economist for Asia Pacific at French bank Natixis.

"This is a system shock," says Nigel Green, CEO of deVere Group. "You have a material energy supply disruption and a structural shift toward fragmentation."

The sharp decline in oil prices following the announcement played a key role in lifting sentiment. Lower energy costs could help ease inflation pressures and support both consumer demand and corporate margins.

The failure of peace talks between the United States and Iran and renewed tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz have strengthened demand for the US dollar as a safe haven, putting direct pressure on silver.

The Borderless Benchmark Q1 2026 report indicates that the Brazilian real recorded a 0 bps quoted execution cost from multiple providers across two consecutive months, showcasing the stability of the LATAM corridor.

Net investment income per share has not covered the quarterly distribution for at least four consecutive quarters. Q1 2026 NII came in at $0.27 per share against a declared distribution of $0.3075.

Instead of trying to predict whiplashing oil prices, consider investing in energy ETFs like the Invesco WilderHill Clean Energy ETF and First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure. These ETFs provide exposure to sectors such as pipelines and shipping, independent of oil price fluctuations.

AIA tracks a concentrated index of 50 large-cap Asian equities across China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore. The fund captures earnings growth and valuation re-rating of Asia's largest businesses, particularly in technology and financials, without the currency hedging complexity of some regional peers. With a 0.5% expense ratio and $2.2 billion in net assets, it is a liquid, cost-accessible vehicle for the exposure.

The USD/JPY pair surged to a nine-day peak of 158.86 following the Bank of Japan's (BoJ) first policy decision of 2026, with the momentum accelerating sharply during Governor Kazuo Ueda's post-meeting press conference. The pair later saw a missive flush toward 157.308. While the central bank technically stood pat, the market's read of the event was one of a hawkish hold, as the divergence between official rhetoric and the surging Japanese Government Bond (JGB) yields forced a frantic repricing of the yen's path.