European stocks continued their gains for a second consecutive session on Tuesday (June 5), with the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 rising 0.4%. Investors continued to shift their focus to corporate earnings while closely monitoring global trade developments. Meanwhile, market participants are increasingly anticipating a potential interest rate cut by the Fed. In the corporate sector, BP shares rose 1.1% after the oil major reported better-than-expected second-quarter earnings. Diageo jumped 6% after reaffirming its full-year forecast, while DHL jumped 5% following a solid profit...
EUR/USD struggles to extend its upside move above 1.0430 in Wednesday's North American session. The upside move in the major currency pair appears to be stalling as the US Dollar (USD) strives to gain ground after the release of upbeat United States (US) ADP Employment Change for January. The ADP Research Institute reported that the private sector hired 183K workers in January, higher than estimates of 150K and the prior release of 176K, revised significantly higher from 122K. Upbeat private employment is expected to boost market expectations that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will keep...
Gold rose to a new record high, as trade war concerns boosted haven demand and there were signs of continued short-term tightness in the market. Bullion rose as much as 1.2% to above $2,877 an ounce on Wednesday. Prices have been supported by concerns about the impact of trade tensions, particularly between the U.S. and China. The market is also waiting to see if there will be a ripple effect for U.S. monetary policy if tariffs rekindle inflation. There are signs of rising demand for gold as primary dealers look to shift the metal to the U.S. before any tariffs are imposed. So-called...
Oil prices plunged more than 1% on Wednesday as rising US inventories and concerns about a renewed Sino-US trade war stoked fears of weaker economic growth, offsetting a renewed push by US President Donald Trump to eliminate Iranian crude exports. Brent crude futures fell 92 cents, or 1.21%, to $75.28 a barrel by 1210 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell 86 cents, or 1.18%, to $71.84. Crude prices traded in a wide range on Tuesday, with WTI falling at one point as much as 3% to its lowest since December 31 after China announced tariffs on US oil, liquefied natural gas...
The US dollar weakened against most major currencies as traders continued to assess the risk of an imminent trade war. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell 0.4% to its lowest in more than a week, with the greenback continuing to weaken from its strongest level in more than two years hit on Monday. Traders recalibrated their outlook for the world's reserve currency after US President Donald Trump delayed the imposition of levies on Mexico and Canada. That returned the focus to market fundamentals, with weaker US jobs data on Tuesday leading to increased bets on interest rate cuts. "The...
The pound (GBP) strengthened near 1.2500 against the US dollar in the European session on Wednesday (5/2). The GBP/USD pair strengthened as the US dollar gave up its initial weekly gains due to the loss of risk premium after US President Donald Trump suspended tariffs on Canada and Mexico. Market participants have interpreted this scenario as a negotiating tactic by President Trump to close a better deal with its major trading partners. Trump called for an immediate suspension of the 25% tariff order on his North American counterparts after they agreed to cooperate on criminal law...