Weekend News Round Up - Newsquawk Asia-Pac Market Open

• US stocks ultimately finished mixed on what was a rangebound choppy session on Friday amid quad witching and with pressure in some of the big tech stocks such as Apple and Nvidia. The main macroeconomic highlight was the flash PMI data from the US which came in hotter than expectations but coincided with some optimistic commentary on inflation, while European PMI data however was largely disappointing across the board.
• China’s Commerce Minister and EU Trade Commissioner agreed to launch consultations on EV tariffs, according to China’s MOFCOM.
• Israeli PM Netanyahu said the phase of intense fighting against Hamas is coming to an end but added it does not mean an end to the war in Gaza and stated that once the intense phase of fighting ends in Gaza, it would allow the deployment of more forces to the northern border with Lebanon, according to Reuters.
• Looking ahead, highlights include New Zealand Trade Data & Credit Card Spending, Singapore CPI, BoJ Summary of Opinions, Supply from Australia.

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LOOKING AHEAD

• Highlights include New Zealand Trade Data & Credit Card Spending, Singapore CPI, BoJ Summary of Opinions, Supply from Australia.
• Click for the Newsquawk Week Ahead.

US TRADE

• US stocks ultimately finished mixed on what was a rangebound choppy session on Friday amid quad witching and with pressure in some of the big tech stocks such as Apple and Nvidia. The main macroeconomic highlight was the flash PMI data from the US which came in hotter than expectations but coincided with some optimistic commentary on inflation, while European PMI data however was largely disappointing across the board.
• SPX -0.16% at 5,465, NDX -0.26% at 19,700, DJI +0.04% at 39,150, RUT +0.23% at 2,022.
• Click here for a detailed summary.

NOTABLE HEADLINES

• Apple (AAPL) and Meta (META) have reportedly discussed an AI partnership, according to WSJ. In relevant news, Nvidia (NVDA) is to deploy AI technology at data centres owned by Ooredoo in five Middle Eastern countries, according to Reuters.

COMMODITIES

• PetroEcuador declared a force majeure on Friday over Napo crude exports following the shutdown of a pipeline and wells, according to Reuters citing sources, while it also postponed two June tenders to allocate crude cargoes for July delivery.
• Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said a Russian air strike on Saturday attacked a Ukrainian infrastructure facility in the west and that Ukraine planned record-high electricity imports following Russia’s air strikes, according to Reuters.

GEOPOLITICAL

MIDDLE EAST

• Israeli PM Netanyahu said the phase of intense fighting against Hamas is coming to an end but added it does not mean an end to the war in Gaza and stated that once the intense phase of fighting ends in Gaza, it would allow the deployment of more forces to the northern border with Lebanon, according to Reuters.
• Israeli Defence Minister Gallant headed to Washington on Sunday where he will discuss Gaza and Lebanon during his US trip, according to Reuters.
• Security and political talks were reportedly underway in Israel to choose the right timing for action in the north, according to Israel's Channel 12.
• Israel reportedly conducted an air strike on a UNRWA aid centre in Gaza which killed 8 people, according to witnesses cited by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
• US top general warned that an Israeli offensive in Lebanon could increase risks of a broader conflict that draws in Iran, according to Reuters.
• Yemen’s Houthis said they carried out two military operations in the Arabian and Red Seas in which it targeted a Transworld Navigator ship in the Arabian Sea and targeted US aircraft carrier Eisenhower in the Red Sea, according to Reuters.
• US Central Command said forces successfully destroyed three Iranian-backed Houthi unscrewed surface vessels in the Red Sea, while it added that Houthis launched three anti-ship ballistic missiles from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen into the Gulf of Aden but there were no injuries or significant damage reported by US, coalition or merchant vessels.
• UKMTO announced an incident 65NM west of Yemen’s Hodeidah whereby a vessel was reportedly hit by an uncrewed aerial system which resulted in damage. UKMTO also announced an incident 96NM of Yemen’s Nishtun in which a vessel was reported to have suffered flooding that cannot be contained and the crew were forced to abandon ship but have been recovered by an assisting ship.
• Bahrain and Iran agreed to restart talks aimed at resuming political relations between the two countries, according to Bahrain’s state news agency.

OTHER

• Ukrainian President Zelensky said Russia used more than 2,400 guided bombs against Ukraine in June alone including 700 against Kharkiv, while he added that they need the promised defence packages without delay so that their agreements with US President Biden can be carried out, according to Reuters.
• Ukraine said Russia launched an air attack on Kyiv and its region, while air defence systems engaged in repelling the attack. It was separately reported that Russian air defence systems destroyed 12 Ukraine-launched drones over Russia’s Bryansk region, according to the regional governor cited by Reuters.
• Shrapnel from an intercepted US-made missile fired by Ukraine hit a beach packed with sunbathing tourists in occupied Crimea on Sunday, according to The Telegraph. It was separately reported that Russia’s Defence Ministry said that responsibility for the shelling of Crimea’s Sevastopol lies primarily with the US and that there will be a response to the shelling, according to Reuters.
• US envoy for East Asia Kritenbrink said the US-Vietnam partnership has never been stronger and only Vietnam can decide how best to safeguard its sovereignty and advance its interests. Kritenbrink also commented that the current situation is deeply concerning and they will stand with Filipino allies, as well as noted that China’s actions, especially around the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea have been irresponsible aggressive, dangerous and deeply destabilising. Furthermore, he said they have made it clear to Beijing that mutual defence treaty obligations the US has to the Philippines are ironclad, according to Reuters.
• Philippines President Marcos said they are not in the business of instigating war and refuse to play by the rules that force them to choose sides in a great power competition, while he added they would like to settle all issues peacefully and have never yielded to any foreign power, according to Reuters.

ASIA-PAC

NOTABLE HEADLINES

• China’s Commerce Minister and EU Trade Commissioner agreed to launch consultations on EV tariffs, according to China’s MOFCOM. It was also reported that China’s state planner hopes that Germany will demonstrate leadership within the EU and do the correct thing, while China will take all measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies, as well as noted that the average price of China’s main EV models overseas is higher than domestic prices.
• Germany’s Economy Minister Habeck said in Shanghai that EU Commissioner Dombrovskis informed him that there will be concrete talks on tariffs with China and their goal is a level playing field between China and Germany. Habeck stated that it is good to be export-oriented but not to use subsidies for it, while he sees some options to reach an agreement but that is the task of the Commission. It was also reported that Habeck said EU tariffs are not a punishment but intend to level the playing field, while he also commented that he does not want tariffs because he believes in open markets and stated there is time for dialogue until November between the EU and China on tariffs, according to Reuters.
• China is to create a fund to rescue financial companies in an effort to avert a financial crisis stemming from the property industry slump, according to Nikkei.
• India’s Finance Minister said they are to consider GST rate rationalisation in the next GST Council meeting in August, according to Reuters.

EU/UK

NOTABLE HEADLINES

• Manchester Airport in the UK was affected by a major power cut on Sunday morning which caused widespread disruption and the cancellation of a quarter of total flights from the airport. It was later reported that the airport was resuming operations and it is working on rescheduling flights in the coming days, while flights scheduled on Monday should be unaffected.
• Ipsos poll found that 25% of respondents had the most confidence that Marine Le Pen’s far-right RN to make the correct decisions on economic issues compared with 22% for left-wing NFP and 20% for French President Macron’s alliance, according to FT.