The Nikkei 225 rose 0.5% to 41,000 and the broader Topix gained 0.45% to 2,980 on Thursday, marking the third consecutive gain for Japanese stocks. The rally mirrored overnight gains on Wall Street, driven by upbeat corporate earnings reports, as investors largely shrugged off President Donald Trump's latest tariff moves. Trump announced a 100% tariff on imported semiconductors, excluding companies building in the US, and doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50% on continued imports of Russian oil. Among the gainers were SoftBank Group (+2%), Mitsubishi UFJ (+1.5%), and Ryohin Keikaku...
Oil prices fell 1% on Wednesday, ending three days of gains, as industry sources pointed to rising U.S. crude stockpiles and hawkish remarks from Fed Chair Jerome Powell that signalled slower rate cuts this year. Brent futures were down 67 cents or 0.87% at $76.33 a barrel by 0936 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude dropped 75 cents or 1.02% to $72.57 a barrel. The declines come after three days of gains during which Brent climbed 3.6% and WTI rose 3.7%. "Oil prices resumed their downtrend as the macro environment weighed on sentiment, with Jerome Powell indicating that...
The US dollar steadied Wednesday ahead of key inflation data that could guide future Federal Reserve policy, after relatively hawkish comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell. At 04:15 ET (09:15 GMT), the Dollar Index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six other currencies, traded marginally higher at 107.875, after recording some overnight losses, as traders stepped back from a tariff-driven rally in the greenback. Dollar steadies ahead of US CPI The day's main focus will be the publication of a key monthly reading of U.S. inflation later in the session, which could factor into...
Gold price (XAU/USD) maintains its offered tone through the first half of the European session on Wednesday, though it lacks follow-through selling as traders opt to wait for the release of the US consumer inflation figures. In the meantime, the US Dollar (USD) attracts some buyers in the wake of Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell's hawkish remarks on Tuesday. This, along with a generally positive risk tone, undermines the commodity for the second straight day. However, concerns that US President Donald Trump's new levies on commodity imports and promised reciprocal tariffs, along...
The dollar index remained steady around 108 on Wednesday after pulling back in the previous session, as caution prevailed ahead of a critical inflation reading that could provide further guidance on the direction of interest rates. The January CPI report is expected to show a slight acceleration in US core inflation to 0.3% from 0.2% on a monthly basis, while the annual rate is projected to slow slightly to 3.1% from 3.2%. Meanwhile, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, in remarks before Congress, reiterated that the central bank is in no rush to cut interest rates, emphasizing the strength...
The USD/CHF pair trades on a flat note around 0.9130 during the early European trading hours on Wednesday. Traders await further information from US President Donald Trump on potential trade tariffs. The US Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation data will be in the spotlight later on Wednesday. Also, the Federal Reserve's (Fed) Raphael Bostic and Christopher Waller are scheduled to speak. On Tuesday, Fed Chair Jerome Powell emphasized in testimony before the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee that the US central bank does not need to be in a hurry to adjust the monetary...