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 jumped 1.2% to above 37,300 while the broader Topix Index gained 0.9% to 2,720 on Friday, with Japanese shares hitting six-week highs, tracking a rally on Wall Street overnight as President Donald Trump unveiled a trade deal with the UK, the first since the US imposed sweeping tariffs last month. On the domestic front, investor sentiment was buoyed by data showing a stronger-than-expected rise in personal spending in March, signaling resilience in consumer demand. However, a continued decline in real wages—down for the third consecutive month—tempered optimism about the...
Stocks rose Thursday after President Donald Trump announced a trade deal framework between the U.S. and United Kingdom, the first major agreement hatched since the U.S. launched pre-emptive tariffs on most of the globe earlier this year. The Dow Jones Industrial Averag gained 254.48 points, or 0.62%, to settle at 41,368.45. The S&P 500 rose 0.58% and closed at 5,663.94. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.07% to end at 17,928.14. Trump announced the deal outline from the Oval Office with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on speakerphone. A 10% baseline tariff will remain on the U.K.,...
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) gained ground on Thursday, climbing over 650 points or 1.6% after the Trump administration announced an incoming (but still not signed) trade deal with the United Kingdom (UK). Under the trade deal, most imports from the UK will still see a 10% tariff across the board, but markets are taking the news as a sign that the Trump administration will continue to at least partially walk back its own tariffs over time. Investors are still hoping for a quick resolution to the escalating US-China trade war that has steep 145% import taxes on most goods from...
US stocks rose on Thursday, with the S&P 500 rising 0.6%, the Nasdaq adding 0.9% and the Dow Jones jumping 230 points, as investors welcomed President Trump's announcement of a US-UK trade deal. Sentiment was further boosted by reports that the administration is preparing to roll back some Biden-era restrictions on chipmakers. Consumer discretionary, energy and communication services were by far the top performers while health and utilities underperformed. Megacaps Apple (0.6%), Microsoft (1.6%), Nvidia (0.5%), Amazon (1.2%), Meta (2.2%), Alphabet (1.2%) and Tesla (3.2%) were all...
The Hang Seng rose 84 points or 0.4% to close at 22,776 on Thursday, marking its sixth straight gain amid a rally in U.S. futures. Optimism was fueled by President Trump's hint at a major trade deal with a "big, and highly respected country," likely the UK, with more details later today. The index hovered near a one-month top, lifted by news that a sovereign wealth fund would continue efforts to support mainland markets. Sentiment also benefited from the PBOC rate cuts aimed at supporting growth amid U.S.-China trade disputes. Tech stocks advanced on reports that the U.S. may ease chip...
European stocks edged higher on Thursday, with the Stoxx 50 and Stoxx 600 both up 0.3%, as investors awaited central bank rate decisions and monitor corporate earnings. Optimism also grew around UK-U.S. trade ties, as reports suggest Britain may become the first country to strike a deal following new U.S. tariffs. In corporate headlines, Puma SE delivered a stable Q1 performance, offering reassurance despite lacking a CEO. AB InBev posted profits at the top end of its guidance, helped by better-than-expected sales volumes. Maersk also beat expectations for Q1 operating profit and held its...
Hong Kong stocks rose 187 points, or 0.8%, to 22,881 in early trading on Thursday, extending gains for a sixth straight session amid a small rise in U.S. stock futures after the Federal Reserve kept its benchmark interest rate steady for a third straight meeting, as expected. Echoing the Fed, the HKMA also kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 4.75%. Market sentiment was further boosted by reports that President Trump will hold a press conference to discuss a major trade deal later in the day. In China, the People's Bank of China (PBOC) unveiled sweeping policy measures on Wednesday,...
Japanese stocks opened lower, with the Topix declining for the first day in 10 as the yen held steady after the FOMC meeting. The Topix Index fell 0.5% to 2,681.86 as of 9:35 a.m. Tokyo time. It's the first day of losses since April 21 Sony Group contributed the most to declines in the index, down 2.9% Out of 1,689 stocks in the Topix, 327 rose and 1,314 fell, while 48 were unchanged The Nikkei shed 0.2% to 36,701.35 The yen was trading at 143.74 against the dollar early in Tokyo, compared with 143.83 Wednesday morning, despite initially weakening after Federal...
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....