Gold (XAU/USD) is trading higher on Friday as investors remain focused on Fed expectations US economic data. At the time of writing, XAU/USD recovers above $3,350, pushing the price closer toward the upper boundary of a symmetrical triangle pattern. Traders are digesting fresh US housing data released on Friday, with Building Permits and Housing Starts for June providing further insight into the health of the real estate sector which improved significantly. Meanwhile, the University of Michigan (UoM) released the first set of preliminary Sentiment data which rose to 61.8 in Jyl, from 60.7...
Both the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 held near the flatline on Thursday, ending a seven-session winning streak that had pushed the former to a 2,000 high and the latter to a record. Traders took a breather as they closely monitored developments in U.S. policy under President Trump. Technology stocks led the decline after rallying in the previous session, boosted by Trump's announcement of a $500 billion investment in U.S. AI infrastructure. Meanwhile, the World Economic Forum in Davos remained in focus, with Trump scheduled to address attendees via video call. In the corporate sector, ASML...
The Hang Seng fell 78 points, or 0.4%, to close at 19,700 on Thursday, reversing its morning gains amid looming tariff risks and concerns over China's sluggish economic momentum. Meanwhile, U.S. index futures fell after Wall Street's S&P 500 neared an all-time high on Wednesday following President Trump's move to boost spending on AI. Most sectors ended up losing ground, especially technology, consumer discretionary and property. In contrast, financials rose after China's securities regulator encouraged local insurers and mutual funds to boost their equity holdings. Earlier this month,...
The Nikkei 225 index rose 0.2% to around 39,730, while the broader Topix index gained 0.05% to 2,738 on Thursday, marking the fourth straight session of gains for Japanese stocks. However, caution prevailed as the Bank of Japan began its two-day policy meeting. The central bank is widely expected to raise interest rates and revise its inflation forecast higher on Friday, following hawkish remarks from senior BOJ officials. Meanwhile, data showed that Japan's exports beat expectations in December, while imports also showed positive growth. Notable gains were seen in major stocks, including...
China stocks rose on Thursday, with the Shanghai Composite up 1.4% to around 3,260 and the Shenzhen Component up 0.6% to 10,290, recouping losses from earlier in the week as Beijing stepped up support for the struggling stock market. On Wednesday, China unveiled a new plan led by its top financial regulator, urging state-owned insurers to increase their investments in Chinese A-shares and equity funds, while also encouraging mutual funds to raise capital for stock investments. Wu Qing, head of the CSRC, said the plan would inject hundreds of billions of yuan in new capital each year. Earlier...
Hong Kong shares rose 38 points, or 0.2%, to 18,818 in early trade on Thursday after a downbeat session the previous day, helped mainly by gains in the financial and technology sectors. Traders enthusiastically responded to China's latest move to turn around its sluggish stock market by encouraging insurance funds to increase the size and proportion of their investments in Chinese A-shares, or mainland-traded companies, and equity funds. The initiative could bring in at least hundreds of billions of yuan in new capital each year from state-owned insurers, the China Securities Regulatory...
Asia-Pacific markets opened mixed on Thursday (1/23) as investors digested a slew of economic data in the region. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 traded 0.42% lower at the open. Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.38% at the open, while the Topix gained 0.25%. South Korea's Kospi fell 0.21% and the Kosdaq traded 0.13% lower at the open. South Korea's economy grew 1.2% year-on-year in the fourth quarter, marking its slowest expansion since the second quarter of 2023. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index futures were at 19,924, higher than the HSI's last close of 19,778.77. Singapore is expected to report inflation...
The Nikkei 225 index rose 0.2% to around 39,730, while the broader Topix index rose 0.05% to 2,738 on Thursday, marking the fourth straight session of gains for Japanese stocks. However, caution prevailed as the Bank of Japan began its two-day policy meeting. The central bank is widely expected to raise interest rates and revise its inflation forecast higher on Friday, following hawkish remarks from senior BOJ officials. Meanwhile, data showed that Japanese exports beat expectations in December, while imports also showed positive growth. Notable gains were seen in major stocks, including...
Stocks climbed on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 hitting a fresh all-time high, as technology shares such as Oracle and Nvidiarallied on artificial intelligence optimism and President Donald Trump's new term in office. The S&P 500 advanced 0.61% after hitting an intraday record of 6,100.81, exceeding the last milestone touched in December before the market pullback. The broad index closed at 6,086.37, slightly below its all-time closing high. The Nasdaq Composite popped 1.28% to 20,009.34, underscoring the outperformance of tech names. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 130.92...
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....