Oil Falls as Iran Tensions Ease, Traders Eye Central Bank Decisions, CXMT Trading Debut

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific. Oil dropped, stocks and bonds rose as the US and Iran refrained from retaliatory strikes, easing concerns over potential disruptions to Middle East energy supplies after a recent escalation in the conflict. Three days of Group-of-Seven central bank decisions begin with the Fed on Wednesday, followed by the Bank of England and the Bank of Japan. While no changes are expected in interest rate policy, officials are likely to emphasize vigilance over the inflationary impact of higher energy prices. Bloomberg TV host Haidi Stroud-Watts spoke to Diana Mousina, Deputy Chief Economist at AMP. Plus - Investors are looking to Monday's trading debut of CXMT Corp. to help renew a rally in Chinese semiconductor stocks that has been on pause ahead of the memory giant's initial public offering. The chip-heavy Star 50 Index fell into a bear market this month as funds repositioned for the IPO, which values CXMT at $86 billion, making it China's largest-ever chip offering. Still, the valuation at about one‑tenth that of larger rival SK Hynix Inc. is seen leaving ample room for CXMT to run. It's expected to perform well given an IPO that was hundreds of times oversubscribed and that listings on the STAR Board face no daily percentage limit for the first five trading sessions. Given CXMT's heavy state backing as a key component of China's drive for tech self-sufficiency, a big jump could provide a halo effect for other local chip stocks. Bloomberg TV host Haidi Stroud-Watts spoke to Rolf Bulk, Head of Semiconductors & Infrastructure at Futurum Equities.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.