(Bloomberg) — Asian stocks rose for a seventh straight day, helping extend a global equities rally, while trading in silver turned volatile after it jumped to yet another record.
MSCI Inc.’s gauge of Asia Pacific shares advanced 0.6%, with the tech sector leading gains. A seven-day winning streak would be its longest since mid-September. Mining stocks in the region climbed as a broad measure of commodities gained for a sixth session. US futures were steady after the S&P 500 finished near an all-time high on Friday.
Silver gyrated after smashing through $80 an ounce for the first time amid a historic surge powered by speculative trades and a persistent mismatch between supply and demand. Gold was lower after reaching a new peak in the previous session, while copper jumped more than 6% to hit a record on the London Metal Exchange.
Precious metals have emerged as a hot corner of financial markets in recent months, boosted by elevated central-bank purchases, inflows to exchange-traded funds and three successive rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. Lower borrowing costs are a tailwind for the commodities, which don’t pay interest, and traders are betting on more rate cuts in 2026.
“We are witnessing a generational bubble playing out in silver,” Tony Sycamore, market analyst at IG Australia, wrote in a note Sunday. “Relentless industrial demand from solar panels, EVs, AI data centers and electronics, pushing against depleting inventories, has driven physical premiums to extremes.”
Monday’s early momentum for precious metals had come after a comment by Elon Musk over the weekend that highlighted the growing investor frenzy around them. Musk replied to a tweet on Chinese export restrictions by saying on X: “This is not good. Silver is needed in many industrial processes.”
In the last week, frictions in Venezuela — where the US has blockaded oil tankers — and strikes by Washington on Islamic State in Nigeria have also added to the haven appeal of these metals. With silver inventories near their lowest on record, there’s a risk of supply shortages that could impact multiple sectors.
What Bloomberg Strategists say…
“Silver has particular drivers which mean it is understandable for it to be outperforming the general rally in metals, precious and otherwise, against the US dollar. Nevertheless it is very tough to justify the parabolic ramp-up in silver as it leaves peers behind.”
Garfield Reynolds, Markets Live Strategist. For full analysis, click here.
The MSCI All Country World Index — one of the broadest measures of the equity market — was up 0.1% in Asia after climbing 1.4% last week to an all-time high as a much-expected year-end rally took hold.
“The focus this week will be on the release of the FOMC minutes” from the Fed’s December meeting, according to Sycamore. “Markets will scour the minutes for deeper insights into the committee debates on the balance of risks and the timing of future easing.”
Chinese stocks on the mainland underperformed the Asian benchmark on Monday. Data over the weekend showed industrial profits fell for a second month in November, adding to signs that weakening domestic demand and persistent deflation are weighing on corporate earnings.
The nation on Sunday pledged to broaden its fiscal spending base in 2026, signaling sustained government support to drive growth in a challenging external environment. Separately, Chinese state media cautioned against making one-way bets on the yuan, signaling growing official discomfort about the pace of recent gains in the currency. The yuan advanced past 7 per dollar last week in offshore trading for the first time since September 2024.
Geopolitics also drew attention at the start of a new week. Defense stocks in China and Taiwan rose as the former conducted military drills in waters and airspace surrounding Taiwan starting Monday. Meanwhile, Donald Trump said he made “a lot of progress” in talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy over a possible peace deal, but that it might take a few weeks to get it done and there’s no set timeline.
Elsewhere in markets, oil was higher on prospects for improved Chinese demand in 2026. It is still on track for a fifth monthly drop in December, which would be the longest losing streak in more than two years. Bitcoin rallied about 3% while a gauge of the dollar was steady.
The gauge equities gauge has risen nearly 22% in 2025, heading for a third straight annual gain and the biggest since 2019.
Trends in AI, the key driver of this year’s rally, as well as the path of the Fed’s interest rates are seen by investors as two of the most crucial factors that will determine how equities perform in 2026.
“Stocks can continue their party into 2026 because rate cuts are coming, global growth is robust, and the worst of the tariff threats seem to be already in the price,” said Nirgunan Tiruchelvam, an analyst at Aletheia Capital.
Stocks
S&P 500 futures were little changed as of 1:47 p.m. Tokyo time Japan’s Topix rose 0.2% Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.3% Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.3% The Shanghai Composite rose 0.3% Euro Stoxx 50 futures rose 0.3% Currencies
The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was little changed The euro was little changed at $1.1765 The Japanese yen rose 0.2% to 156.33 per dollar The offshore yuan was little changed at 7.0092 per dollar Cryptocurrencies
Bitcoin rose 3% to $90,175.03 Ether rose 3.6% to $3,042.66 Bonds
The yield on 10-year Treasuries was little changed at 4.14% Australia’s 10-year yield advanced two basis points to 4.76% Commodities
West Texas Intermediate crude rose 1% to $57.30 a barrel Spot gold fell 0.4% to $4,515.14 an ounce This story was produced with the assistance of Bloomberg Automation.
–With assistance from Carmeli Argana, Rita Nazareth, Ruth Carson and Abhishek Vishnoi.
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