Gold (XAU/USD) Gold (XAU/USD) regains ground on Friday, edging modestly higher after earlier weakness, even as a resilient US Dollar (USD) caps upside momentum. At the time of writing, XAU/USD trades around $4,345, recovering from a daily low near $4,309. The precious metal briefly surged toward record highs on Thursday after US inflation data undershot expectations. However, gains quickly faded as softer inflation lifted risk appetite across equity markets and pushed Gold back within the range established earlier this week. That said, the downside appears limited, as a dovish Federal...
The Nikkei 225 index rose 0.2% to 37,600 while the broader Topix index gained 0.4% to 2,744 on Monday, with Japanese shares hitting a six-week high as the U.S. cited "substantial progress" in trade talks with China over the weekend in Switzerland. The U.S. highlighted efforts to reduce its trade deficit, while Chinese leaders confirmed a "significant consensus" had been reached. However, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick noted that the 10% base tariff on other countries is expected to remain in place "for the foreseeable future." Investors are also keeping an eye on ongoing trade talks...
Asia-Pacific markets rose on Monday on optimism that U.S.-China trade tensions could ease after the two superpowers held talks in Switzerland over the weekend. Both countries touted a positive conclusion to high-stakes trade talks, with U.S. officials touting a deal to reduce their trade deficit, while Chinese leaders said they had reached an "important consensus." U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent noted that the talks resulted in "significant" productivity gains. Meanwhile, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng said a joint statement containing "good news for the world" would be released on...
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) followed the broader market lower on Friday, declining to 41,150 as investors gear up for a tense weekend. The United States (US) and China are headed for opening trade talks in Switzerland this weekend, but policymakers from both administrations have cautioned that talks will be strictly preliminary. Chinese delegates have specifically warned that a definitive deal could be months away. US President Donald Trump hit social media early on Friday, publicly musing about a potential walkback of tariffs on Chinese goods that currently stand at an...
European stocks closed firmly higher on Friday as the possibility that the US and China will de-escalate their trade war with talks this weekend supported risk-on assets. The STOXX 50 added 0.4% to 5,310 and the pan-European STOXX 600 rose 0.4% to 548. On the policy front, ECB official Olli Rehn stated that the central bank should consider cutting interest rates in the upcoming meeting provided that upcoming forecasts confirm a continued disinflation trend and weakening growth momentum. Consumer discretionary companies and utility providers led the gains after lagging behind in the previous...
Stocks in the US were higher on Friday, with the S&P 500 rising 0.4%, the Nasdaq adding 0.6% and the Dow Jones gaining about 110 points, as traders weighed signs of a potential de-escalation in global trade tensions. President Trump said an 80% tariff on China "seems right" ahead of trade talks led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese counterparts in Switzerland this weekend. Earlier reports had suggested the tariff rate could be reduced to below 60%. Energy and consumer discretionary were the top performing sectors while consumer staples underperformed. Corporate earnings...
Both the STOXX 50 and the STOXX 600 rose 0.3% on Friday, extending gains from the previous session, as traders remained cautiously optimistic about the US-UK trade deal and looked ahead to US-China trade negotiations over the weekend. Oil and gas, autos, and healthcare were the best-performing sectors, while insurance lagged behind. Meanwhile, investors also monitored corporate earnings. Shares of Commerzbank edged up just 0.3%, despite the lender reporting a better-than-expected net profit in Q1. Mediobanca shares gained 1.5% following an earnings beat. For the week, both benchmark...
Japan stocks were higher after the close on Friday, as gains in the Real Estate, Banking and Textile sectors led shares higher. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 gained 1.51% to hit a new 1-month high. The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were NTT Data Corp. (TYO:9613), which rose 14.26% or 498.00 points to trade at 3,990.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Ajinomoto Co., Inc. (TYO:2802) added 7.40% or 223.00 points to end at 3,238.00 and Kao Corp. (TYO:4452) was up 6.40% or 387.00 points to 6,431.00 in late trade. The worst performers of the session were Mitsubishi Heavy...
Hong Kong shares rose 60 points, or 0.2%, to 22,841 on Friday morning, extending gains for a seventh straight session and holding around a one-month high. Positive sentiment from Wall Street overnight supported sentiment after US President Trump suggested tariffs on Chinese goods could be eased if upcoming trade talks in Switzerland go smoothly—the first formal negotiations between the US and China. Investors also cheered a major trade deal between the US and the UK. Financial and consumer stocks led gains, while property and technology stocks lagged. However, further gains were capped by...
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....