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Investors Tuesday welcomed more dovish comments from Federal Reserve officials reinforcing hopes it will cut interest rates next month, while a tech-led rally on Wall Street soothed recent AI bubble worries.In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 closed up 0.1% to 48,659.52 points; Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index ended up 0.7% to 25,894.55 points andShanghai - Composite closed up 0.9% to 3,870.02 points Tuesday.After a swoon in recent weeks, optimism appeared to be returning to trading floors as the chances of a third successive reduction in US borrowing costs increases as a weakening labour market offsets stubbornly high inflation.Fed governor Christopher Waller told Fox Business on Monday that inflation was not his main worry and that his "concern is mainly the labour market, in terms of our dual mandate" of the Fed to support jobs and keep a cap on prices."So I'm advocating for a rate cut at the next meeting."His comments echoed those of San Francisco Fed president Mary Daly, who told the Wall Street Journal: "On the labour market, I don't feel as confident we can get ahead of it."She added that the risk of a bust higher in inflation was a lower risk as the impact of US President Donald Trump's tariffs had been less than expected.New York Fed boss John Williams said Friday that he still sees "room for a further adjustment" at the bank's December 9-10 policy meeting.Analysts pointed out that the lack of pushback from the Fed on the remarks suggested boss Jerome Powell backed them and was preparing for another cut.Traders now see about a 90% chance of a reduction, having been around 35% last week.The prospect of lower borrowing rates pushed Wall Street sharply higher for a second successive day Monday, with the S&P 500 up around 1.6%.The Nasdaq charged 2.7% higher thanks to a surge in market heavyweights including Alphabet, Meta and Amazon.And the gains continued in Asia, which built on Monday's strong performance.Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Seoul, Taipei, Mumbai, Bangkok and Jakarta all advanced, though there were pullbacks in Manila, Singapore and Wellington.London, Paris and Frankfurt opened higher.Tech firms have enjoyed a revival after suffering a period of selling in recent weeks, owing to concerns that the AI-led splurge this year may have pushed valuations too far and the huge investments made in the sector could take time to come to fruition.While there is debate about whether the advance has more legs, observers say the outlook is more nuanced."AI remains one of the most powerful forces reshaping markets, but the tone is changing," wrote Saxo Markets' Charu Chanana."Strong earnings from leading chipmakers... reassure investors that demand is real, yet the sharp swings in market reaction show that enthusiasm now sits alongside questions around sustainability, profitability, and execution."The broad 'everything goes up' phase of the AI trade is fading. What replaces it is a more nuanced market: one that rewards fundamentals over narratives."She added that investors now had to "separate the durable players from those caught up in the momentum".Sentiment was also given a lift after Trump praised "extremely strong" US-China relations following a call with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.He also said he will visit China in April and that Xi will make a trip to Washington later in 2026.However, he made no mention of the fact that they had spoken about the ever-sensitive issue of Taiwan. China's foreign ministry said Trump had told Xi the United States "understands how important the Taiwan question is to China".The call came after the pair met in late October for the first time since 2019, engaging in closely watched trade talks between the world's top two economies.

Bessent says inflation due to services economy, not tariffsTreasury secretary says Republicans should end filibuster in event of another shutdownBessent says administration working to lower prices where it canTreasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday said the 43-day government shutdown caused an $11bn permanent hit to the US economy, but he was optimistic about growth prospects next year given easing interest rates and tax cuts.Bessent told NBC's "Meet the Press" program that parts of the US economy that are sensitive to interest rates, including housing, had been in recession, but he did not see the entire economy at risk of negative growth. He blamed the services economy, not US President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, for inflation - repeating the Trump administration's longstanding mantra - and added that he expected lower energy prices to drive down prices more broadly. "I am very, very optimistic on 2026.We have set the table for a very strong, non-inflationary growth economy," he said. Bessent cited positive data for October, including a drop in energy prices and higher home sales, and said the administration was working hard to bring down inflation.The Treasury secretary noted that inflation was 0.5% higher in Democratic-controlled states than those run by Republicans, attributing the difference to increased regulation. Last week's moves to cut tariffs on food imports like bananas and coffee were the result of trade deals that had been negotiated for months, Bessent said, adding, "Inflation is a composite number and we look at everything.So we are trying to push down the things we can control". Trump on Wednesday signed legislation ending the longest government shutdown in US history that extends funding through January 30, setting the stage for another showdown between Democrats and Trump's Republicans next year.Bessent said Republicans should immediately vote to end the filibuster if Democrats closed the government again, something Trump has also demanded, but dodged a question on whether there were enough votes to do so.Bessent said policy changes that cap taxes on overtime, cut taxes on tips and Social Security for some individuals, and make auto loans deductible would boost real income levels for working Americans and help offset higher costs.Taxpayers would see substantial federal tax refunds in the first quarter of 2026 given the changes in tax rates, he added. The Trump administration also planned an announcement this week at lowering health care costs, Bessent said, echoing similar remarks from a senior White House official last week, but giving no details.A rash of trade deals would also help boost the economy, Bessent said, predicting new plant openings across the country. 

Gold and silver prices surged to new record highs on Monday, driven by strong safe-haven demand amid renewed trade tensions between the United States and China, as well as expectations that the US Federal Reserve will cut interest rates. Spot gold rose 0.7% to $4,044.29 per ounce, while US gold futures for December delivery advanced 1.6% to $4,062.50. Silver climbed 2% in spot trading to a record $51.52 per ounce, extending its recent rally. Gold, which yields no interest, has gained 54% so far this year, supported by anticipation of lower borrowing costs and increased geopolitical uncertainty. Among other precious metals, platinum rose 2.6% to $1,628.80 per ounce, while palladium gained 2.6% to $1,442.06.

Qatar Central Bank (QCB) decided to reduce the current interest rates for deposits, lending and repo by 0.25% or 25 basis points (bps).The new rates will take effect on September 18, QCB noted.Qatar Central Bank’s deposit rate (QCBDR) will now be 4.35%, lending rate (QCBLR) 4.85% and repo rate (QCBRR) 4.60%.In a statement, QCB said the rate cut followed its “assessment of the current monetary policy of the State of Qatar.

Turkish inflation came in higher than expected in August, at nearly 33% annually and more than 2% on a monthly basis, readings that are likely to slow the central bank's plans to cut interest rates as it also weighs stronger economic growth.Annual consumer price inflation stood at 32.95% last month, official data showed on Wednesday, above a Reuters poll estimate of 32.6%. It was up 2.04% on a monthly basis.In further evidence that consumer demand remains strong despite the effects of prolonged monetary tightening, separate data on Monday had shown that Turkiye's economy grew by 4.8% in the second quarter, above expectations.The data flurry comes at a jittery time for investors in Turkiye. A court on Tuesday ousted the Istanbul provincial head of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), dealing a fresh judicial blow to opponents of President Tayyip Erdogan and triggering sharp falls in Turkish share and bond markets.According to a poll conducted in July, economists had expected the central bank to cut its policy rate to 36% by year-end, or some 700 basis points from the current 43%. However the latest inflation and GDP data could cause it to slow the pace of the easing, analysts said."Looking ahead to the central bank's September 11 meeting, we expect the market's current consensus for a 300bps rate cut to moderate towards 200-250bps," Oyak Securities said in a note to clients on Wednesday.In July, the central bank cut the policy rate by 300 basis points, relaunching an easing cycle paused in March, and it promised to use all policy tools in the event of a significant and persistent deterioration in inflation."After Wednesday's GDP growth data and today's inflation data, the probability of the central bank cutting rates by 300 basis points in September has become very low," Hakan Kara, a former central bank chief economist now on the faculty at Bilkent University in Ankara, said on X.The monthly inflation reading for August of 2.04% was affected by higher food, education, and housing prices, as well as the continued impact of a mid-year update of taxes on tobacco and fuel items.In July, CPI inflation stood at 33.52% on an annual basis, while the monthly reading was 2.06%.In the Reuters poll, the monthly inflation rate for August had been expected to come in at 1.8%.The domestic producer price index rose 2.48% month-on-month in August for an annual rise of 25.16%, the data showed.Inflation is seen slowing to 30% at the end of this year according to the poll median, higher than the central bank forecast range of 25%-29%.