The US Dollar Index (DXY) continued its strengthening for a second day and briefly hovered around 98.20 during the Asian session, driven by hawkish comments from Kansas City Fed President Jeffrey Schmid. He emphasized that the Fed must maintain credibility in combating inflation, stating that inflation remains too high, and assessing that current monetary policy is "properly calibrated." However, this encouragement is met with growing expectations of an interest rate cut, coupled with the ongoing US government shutdown. The CME FedWatch tool now projects a 94% chance of a 25 bps cut in...
Asian stocks fell and U.S. equity index futures slid as the trade conflict showed no sign of abating, with Nvidia Corp. saying the U.S. was imposing new restrictions on some chip exports to China. Contracts for the Nasdaq 100 fell more than 1.4% in early trading and S&P 500 futures dropped 0.9% after Nvidia slumped in after-hours trading. Gold, a safe-haven asset that tends to rise when riskier assets decline, hit a fresh record on Wednesday. Bonds held onto the previous session's gains boosted by comments from a Treasury official about potential rule changes that could lower trading...
Tokyo stocks edged lower in early trade, amid uncertainty over additional tariffs and after U.S. authorities told Nvidia semiconductors they would need export permits to China. The Topix fell 0.1% to 2,512.02 as of 9:28 a.m. Tokyo time The Nikkei fell 0.3% to 34,176.54 Advantest was the biggest contributor to the Topix decline, down 4.4%. Of the 1,689 stocks in the index, 986 rose and 598 fell, while 105 were unchanged. "The tighter restrictions on Nvidia products show that tensions between the U.S. and China are escalating, and it's hard to invest in technology stocks unless the overall...
U.S. stocks gyrated on Tuesday, as investors analyzed the latest batch of first-quarter earnings reports and enjoyed a recent decline in market turmoil. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 155.83 points, or 0.38%, to close at 40,368.96. The S&P 500 declined 0.17% and ended at 5,396.63, and Nasdaq Composite ticked down 0.05% and settled at at 16,823.17. The three averages are coming off back-to-back winning sessions. Tuesday's muted moves were in stark contrast to the volatile swings seen in recent sessions. The Cboe Volatility Index (VIX), known as Wall Street's "fear gauge," fell...
European stocks closed firmly higher on Tuesday, extending the sharp gains from last session after prospects that the US could pause tariffs for autos and parts supported key sectors of the European economy. The Eurozone's STOXX 50 gained 1.2% and the pan-European STOXX 600 jumped 1.6%. Investor sentiment was buoyed by President Trump's remarks on Monday, indicating he is considering temporary exemptions on tariffs for imported vehicles and parts to give automakers more time to expand US-based production. Besides aiding companies with exposure to the auto sector, the remarks supported hopes...
The three major averages in the US were up nearly 0.3% on Tuesday, as investors weighed trade war developments against rising hopes for a temporary pause in auto tariffs. President Trump said on Monday he is considering temporary exemptions on tariffs for imported vehicles and auto parts, aiming to give manufacturers more time to ramp up US-based production. At the same time, the Commerce Department announced a new investigation into the national security implications of semiconductor and pharmaceutical imports, a move seen as laying the groundwork for fresh tariffs in those sectors. In...
The Hang Seng rose 49 points or 0.23% to finish at 21,466 on Tuesday, extending its winning streak to a sixth session and holding at a two-month peak. U.S. tariff exclusions on specific electronics continued to support sentiment, which helped ease concerns about President Trump's reciprocal tariffs on China. At the same time, U.S. futures were slightly higher after back-to-back gains on Wall Street S&P 500 Monday, with attention shifting to upcoming Q1 earnings results. However, advances were capped as investors awaited more clarity on trade developments, particularly after the U.S....
Stocks in Europe were higher on Tuesday, with both the STOXX 50 adding 0.3% and the STOXX 600 rising about 0.7%, as optimism grew over a potential pause in auto tariffs and the earnings season gained momentum. Investor sentiment was buoyed by President Trump's remarks on Monday, indicating he is considering temporary exemptions on tariffs for imported vehicles and parts to give automakers more time to expand US-based production. The auto sector led the gains, with Mercedes-Benz climbing 2.9%, BMW 2.5%, Volkswagen 2.8%, Stellantis 4.3%, and Renault 1.9%. Other sectors also traded in...
Japanese stocks rose after the close on Tuesday (4/15), as gains in the Real Estate, Banking and Textile sectors helped stocks advance. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 gained 0.89%. The best performers on the Nikkei 225 were Yokogawa Electric Corp. (TYO:6841), which rose 7.41% or 208.00 points to trade at 3,014.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Denso Corp. (TYO:6902) rose 5.64% or 94.00 points to close at 1,761.00 and Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. (TYO:5802) gained 5.27% or 107.50 points to 2,148.00 at the close. The worst performers on the session were Shiseido Co., Ltd. (TYO:4911),...
Gold rises in the early Asian trade. There's a broad commodities uptrend, driven by macro uncertainty, a weaker dollar, and persistent demand for "hard" assets, says Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst...
Oil extended declines after OPEC+ agreed to a bigger-than-expected production increase next month, raising concerns about oversupply just as US tariffs fan fears about the demand outlook.
Brent...
The Japanese Yen (JPY) weakened against its US counterpart and reversed part of Friday's recovery from the lowest level since July 23 following Bank of Japan (BOJ) Governor Kazuo Ueda's remarks....