Hong Kong stocks rose 98 points, or 0.4%, to 24,607 in early trading on Monday, ending a four-day losing streak amid gains led by the property and technology sectors. Sentiment improved after China's top leaders pledged to support the economy and tackle "irregular competition" at last week's Politburo meeting. Beijing also confirmed plans to hold its fourth plenary session in October, which will likely focus on the next five-year plan. A modest rebound in US stock futures added support, following Wall Street's sharp decline on Friday due to weak employment data. On tariffs, US Treasury...
Oil prices jumped on Friday as the U.S. Treasury Department announced sweeping sanctions against Russia's oil industry. Brent gained $2.84, or 3.69%, to close at $79.76 per barrel, while U.S. crude oil advanced $2.65, or 3.58%, to settle at $76.57 per barrel. The benchmarks closed at their highest levels since October. The sanctions target Russian oil companies Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas and their subsidiaries, more than 180 tankers, and more than a dozen Russian energy officials and executives. The sanctioned executives include Gazprom Neft CEO Aleksandr Valeryevich Dyukov. The...
Gold (XAU/USD) price traded with slight losses near $2,690 against the broadly stronger US Dollar (USD) during the early Asian session on Monday (13/1). However, safe-haven demand due to uncertainty surrounding the policies of President-elect Donald Trump's administration could help limit Gold's decline. A stronger-than-expected US employment data on Friday reinforced expectations that the US Federal Reserve (Fed) may not cut interest rates aggressively this year. This, in turn, weighed on non-yielding assets. Traders expect the Fed to cut interest rates by only 30 basis points (bps) this...
The AUD/USD pair held steady around 0.6145 during the early Asian session on Monday. The US jobs growth came in stronger than expected in December, supporting the US Dollar (USD) across the board. The data released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on Friday showed that Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) rose by 256K in December, compared to an increase of 212K (revised from 227K) seen in November. This reading beat the market expectation of 160K by a wide margin. Meanwhile, the Unemployment Rate fell to 4.1% in December from 4.2% in November. Lastly, annual wage inflation, as measured by the...
WTI crude oil futures advanced 3.6% to settle at $76.57 per barrel on Friday, levels not seen since October, as fresh U.S. sanctions on Russia's oil sector, sparked concerns about global supply disruptions. The U.S. Treasury's sanctions target Russian oil producers Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas, as well as over 180 vessels, oil traders, and energy officials, aiming to restrict Russia's oil trade and escalate geopolitical risks. Additionally, colder U.S. weather has heightened demand for heating fuels, further supporting oil prices. Analysts from Goldman Sachs and UBS predict that supply...
The U.S. dollar rallied on Friday after data showed the world's largest economy created more jobs than expected last month, reinforcing expectations that the Federal Reserve will pause its rate-cutting cycle at its policy meeting later this month. The greenback also extended gains following a report that showed U.S. consumer inflation expectations for the next year and beyond jumped in January. The dollar rose to its highest since July against the yen after the data, before turning lower on the day. It was last down 0.1% at 157.845 yen . The euro, on the other hand, dropped to its lowest...