Nov 18 ,2025
Synopsis:
Asian markets set for mostly positive start to Wednesday trade. Futures signaling opening gains in Japan and Hong Kong while ASX little changed in initial trade. S&P 500 futures unchanged after index logged fourth-straight decline on Tuesday. Australian yield curve steepening in-line with Treasury price action. FX markets steady after yen fell to late January low against dollar (not much came from Takaichi-Ueda meeting). Crude and gold little changed. Bitcoin unchanged near seven-month low.
Markets in risk-off mode with elevated valuations and stretched positioning among widely cited factors behind broader AI pullback. Among latest developments, Anthropic deals with MSFT and NVDA played into AI circularity concerns while AMZN's upsized bond offering tied into discussions about debt financing risks. Markets also taking notice of pullback in December Fed rate cut odds. Across Asia, increased scrutiny on Japan's fiscal position has contributed to backup in JGB yields while diplomatic row with China has weighed on select sectors.
In Asia earnings developments late Tuesday, PDD fell 7% in US overnight after warning revenue growth will moderate amid competitive pressures and external uncertainties. Baidu (9888.HK) ADRs rose 3% after offsetting drop in online ad revenue with relatively stronger growth in AI cloud revenue. Xiaomi (1810.HK) turned maiden profit for its EV business though flagged smartphone price hike amid memory chip cost pressures. Group also guided lower gross margin in 2026.
NVDA reports after US market close Wednesday. Previews discussed expectations for another big beat and raise as demand for AI compute continues to meaningfully exceed supply. Lot of talk about high earnings bar though stock down ~7% since late October amid broader AI pullback. Other areas of focus likely to include details on $500B datacenter revenue forecast, memory and component cost impact on margins, China chip challenges, capacity constraints, financing risks and bubble pushback.
Pre-open Company News:
002414.CH -- Wuhan Guide Infrared chairman Huang Li plans to cut stake by up to 3% within 3 months
590.HK -- Luk Fook Holdings (International) initiated outperform at Guosen Securities (timing uncertain)
17.HK -- New World Development adds second early tender date of 25-Nov; increases maximum new perpetual securities cap from $1.6B to $1.79B
9878.HK -- Huitongda Network acquires 57% stake in AI company Tibet Boundary for CNY456M
1810.HK -- Xiaomi reports Q3 adjusted net income CNY11.31B vs FactSet CNY10.13B
2886.TT -- Mega Financial Holding reports 9M EPS NT$1.91 vs year-ago NT$1.98
6618.HK -- JD Health International initiated recommend at Minsheng Securities (timing uncertain)
500696.IN -- Hindustan Unilever sets 5-Dec as record date for demerger of Kwality Wall's
PTT.TB -- PTT Public Co. to cut Aionex JV stake from 51% to 25.7%
ESPR -- Esperion partner HLS Therapeutics announces Health Canada approval of NILEMDO for reduction of LDL-cholesterol
Premarket themes include continued risk-off tone ahead of Nvidia earnings tomorrow afternoon (18-Nov)
3939.HK -- Wanguo Gold Group issues feasibility study in mining and processing project of Gold Ridge mine
9618.HK -- JD.com initiated recommend at Minsheng Securities (timing uncertain)
On Deck:
China:
Economic:
08:00 CST: Foreign Direct Investment Y/Y; consensus
Hong Kong:
Earnings:
ZTO Express (2057.HK), Lenovo Group (992.HK)
Japan:
Economic:
08:50 JST: Export NSA Y/Y (Preliminary); consensus +2.3%
08:50 JST: Import NSA Y/Y (Preliminary); consensus
08:50 JST: Trade Balance NSA (Preliminary); consensus
08:50 JST: Core Machinery Orders ex-Electric Power Companies & Ships SA M/M; consensus +2.1%
Earnings:
Sompo (8630.JP), MS&AD Insurance (8725.JP), Tokio Marine Holdings (8766.JP)
Australia:
Economic:
11:30 AEST: Wage Price Index Y/Y; consensus
Earnings:
Australian Agricultural Co. (AAC.AU)
New Zealand:
Earnings:
Goodman Property Trust (GMT.NZ), Turners Automotive Group (TRA.NZ)
Market Data:
Gold (Dec 25): +$3.20 or +0.08% to $4069.70
WTI Crude (Dec 25): +$0.01 or +0.02% to $60.75
$-¥: +0.27 or +0.17% to 155.5290
$-KRW: (5.62) or (0.38%) to 1456.6500
A$-$: +0.00 or +0.22% to 0.6508
$-INR: (0.08) or (0.09%) to 88.5568
$-CNY: (0.00) or (0.01%) to 7.1070
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