Gold traded higher early on Friday as the dollar and treasury yields weakened. Gold for August delivery was last seen up US$17.80 to US$3,363.10 per ounce. The price of the precious metal has traded in a tight range for most of July after touching a record high on June 13 as the outlook for further interest-rate cuts from U.S. Federal Reserve weakens as it waits to assess the impact of tariffs on inflation and employment. "With our rates strategists pushing their call for the first cut from the Fed till December, and amidst outside pressure on Powell, we see both the macro drivers and...
US stocks plunged on Monday (1/27), with the S&P 500 down 1.8%, the Dow Jones down about 207 points and the Nasdaq nearly 3%, driven by growing concerns about US dominance in AI. The latest AI model from Chinese startup DeepSeek, which has been praised for its cost-effectiveness and ability to run on less advanced chips, attracted significant attention as its AI Assistant overtook ChatGPT to become the top-rated free app on the US Apple App Store. The technology sector was by far the worst performer. Nvidia plunged more than 10%, Broadcom slumped 11.5% and Micron Technology lost more...
European stocks slumped on Monday (27/1) as the technology sector tracked a rout in other markets after China's improved low-cost, low-power artificial intelligence (AI) models fueled concerns about rivals' profits and the need for expensive technology. The pan-European STOXX 600 (.STOXX) was down 0.7% by 0815 GMT. U.S. Nasdaq Composite futures fell 3.1%, while S&P 500 futures fell 1%. Startup DeepSeek has launched a free assistant that it says uses low-cost chips and less data, appearing to challenge widespread bets in financial markets that AI will drive demand along the supply chain...
The Hang Seng rose 132 points, or 0.7%, to close at 20,198 on Monday (1/27), gaining for a second session amid broad gains. Positive sentiment was supported by news that the US and Colombia have averted trade tensions, as the White House confirmed that Bogota has agreed to all conditions set by President Trump in the migrant dispute. Adding to the upbeat mood, three Chinese insurance companies received regulatory approval to invest CNY 52 billion in stocks. Furthermore, excitement around DeepSeek, a Chinese AI with a cost-saving model, increased, sending tech stocks such as Kuaishou Tech...
Japanese stocks fell after the close on Monday (1/27), as losses in the Precision Instruments, Automobiles & Parts and Gas & Water sectors led shares lower. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 was down 0.83%. The best performers on the Nikkei 225 were Keio Corp. (TYO:9008), which rose 6.23% or 231.00 points to trade at 3,938.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Taiheiyo Cement Corp. (TYO:5233) gained 5.53% or 209.00 points to close at 3,987.00 and KDDI Corp. (TYO:9433) gained 4.81% or 234.00 points to 5,103.00 in late trade. The worst performers during the session were Furukawa Electric...
Hong Kong's stocks climbed 192 points or nearly 1% to 20,254 around noon on Monday, increasing for the second session and notching their highest level in two weeks as all sectors gained. Traders were upbeat after Bloomberg News reported that the US held off on Colombia tariffs after the South American country agreed to all of President Trump's terms in migrant dispute. A surge of 11% yoy in Chinese industrial profits for December also buoyed sentiment, as it marked the first rise since July even as they recorded the third consecutive year of drop. Limiting further gains was a slump in US...
Japanese stocks started the week on a positive note but quickly gave up most of their early gains as investors assessed the impact of the Bank of Japan's latest monetary policy decision. On Friday, the BOJ raised interest rates by 25 basis points to 0.5%, marking the highest short-term borrowing costs in 16 years. The central bank also projected inflation to reach its 2% target in the second half of its forecast period, suggesting the possibility of more rate hikes ahead. Investor sentiment soured further following news that US President Donald Trump had imposed tariffs and sanctions on...
The Hang Seng Index jumped 366 points, or 1.9%, to close at 20,066 on Friday, ending a two-day decline. The recovery followed a recent "cordial" conversation between U.S. President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, in which Trump expressed hope for a trade deal with China. The index jumped 2.5% for the week, marking its second straight gain after Chinese regulators urged insurers and mutual funds to buy more stocks to spur a rapid recovery in mainland stocks. A record close on Thursday in the S&P 500 also lifted sentiment, with Trump expecting lower interest rates as the Fed meets...
The Nikkei 225 index fell 0.07% to close at 39,932, while the broader Topix index fell 0.03% to 2,751 on Friday, ending a four-day winning streak after the Bank of Japan raised interest rates by 25 basis points to 0.5%, in line with expectations. The rate hike brought short-term borrowing costs to a 16-year high. The central bank also projected that inflation would hit its 2% target in the second half of its forecast period, signaling the possibility of further rate hikes. On the economic front, Japan's core inflation rate jumped to a 16-month high of 3% in December, strengthening the...
Gold (XAU/USD) is extending its decline on Wednesday for a second consecutive day as the US Dollar (USD) and US Treasury yields firm ahead of the release of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC)...
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....