Daily Brief - 4 Dec 2025

• Kevin M. Warsh is considering a reduction in the frequency of regularly scheduled Federal Reserve meetings used to set interest rates. • The Federal Reserve has maintained a schedule of at least eight meetings per year for several decades.

• South Korea's KOSPI index surged by 15%, climbing past the 6,400 mark during Friday morning trading. • The rally was driven by sharp rebounds in semiconductor giants Samsung and SK Hynix, following strong cloud earnings reports from Microsoft and Amazon.

• On July 31, 2026, the Japanese stock market rose sharply following a surge in the yen, which briefly hit the 157 range after plunging approximately 5 yen on July 30. • The currency volatility sparked widespread speculation that Japanese currency authorities had intervened in the market to stabilize the yen.

• Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that India was among the company's best-performing markets globally during a record-breaking June quarter. • The company achieved revenue records across all geographic segments, with India specifically emerging as one of the strongest markets for Mac products.

• Asia is currently bearing the heaviest impact of the U.S. Federal Reserve's hawkish monetary policy shift, leading to intensified financial fallout across the region. • The current volatility mirrors previous crises, such as the late 1990s currency collapses in Indonesia, Korea, and Thailand, and the 2013 "taper tantrum" that destabilized several emerging markets.

• Japan's Bank of Japan and South Korea's Bank of Korea have reportedly engaged in a rare joint market intervention to stabilize the yen and the won. • Analysts suggest that because the two currencies are tightly coupled, a coordinated effort could double the impact on the forex market compared to unilateral actions.

• South Korea’s Kospi index surged by more than 13%, driven primarily by a significant rally in chipmaking stocks. • The jump follows positive momentum from Wall Street, reflecting a broader global trend of investor confidence in the semiconductor sector.

• South Korea's KOSPI index achieved a record-breaking single-day rally, surging 17.91% as tech giants Samsung and SK Hynix rebounded. • The surge was primarily driven by strong U.S. tech earnings, specifically a "blockbuster" earnings beat from Microsoft and multibillion-dollar deals from Nvidia.

• Moneylife’s market breadth indicators remained in the "emerging strength" territory throughout the current week's trading. • Financial reports show improved asset quality, with gross NPAs declining to 1.81% and net NPAs falling to 0.51%, while provisions decreased to ₹963.6 crore year-on-year.

• South Korea's benchmark Kospi index experienced its sharpest reversal on record on Friday, following a volatile month of market swings. • The recovery was triggered by a strong overnight rally in U.S. tech stocks, driven by positive earnings reports from Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta.

• The KOSPI index rebounded sharply on October 31st, soaring more than 10% after a period of significant decline. • The surge was primarily driven by a rally in semiconductor stocks, which pushed the market upward.