Gold prices strengthened as we entered the European session today, Wednesday (December 17th), holding around $4,320 per ounce and remaining close to October's record high of $4,381. This strengthening occurred after the market returned to seeking safe haven assets while awaiting the next major data from the US. The main drivers came from the US agenda: market participants were focused on Thursday's CPI inflation release and a series of comments from central bank officials. After the latest mixed employment data, the market didn't feel there was enough reason to aggressively increase...
The Hang Seng Index rose for the third day, climbing 1.6%, or 431.56 to 27,287.12 in Hong Kong. The index advanced to the highest closing level in at least a year. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. contributed the most to the index gain, increasing 3.5%. Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. had the largest increase, rising 12.7%. Today, 60 of 88 shares rose, while 25 fell; 3 of 4 sectors were higher, led by commerce and industry stocks. Source: Bloomberg.com
European stocks were on Thursday, with the STOXX 50 up 1% and the STOXX 600 gaining 0.6%, extending the previous session's rally that drove both benchmarks to fresh record closes. Technology shares were among the top performers, buoyed by momentum in Asia following OpenAI's agreement with South Korean chipmakers. Pharma stocks also extended gains after a relief rally in the prior session, amid signs that US President Trump's threatened tariffs on branded drugs may be less severe than feared after Pfizer struck a deal with the administration to offer discounted prescriptions through a new...
The Nikkei 225 Index climbed 0.87% to close at 44,937 on Thursday, snapping a four-day losing streak and tracking strong gains on Wall Street, with chip-related stocks driving the rebound. Despite concerns over the US government shutdown, equities were supported by robust capital spending and expectations of further Federal Reserve rate cuts. Regional sentiment also improved after OpenAI struck a deal with South Korea's Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix to supply memory chips, reinforcing optimism around artificial intelligence. Among the standouts, chipmaking equipment maker Tokyo...
Hong Kong's stock market rebounded after a one-day hiatus. Signs of stabilization in the property sector and gains in technology stocks boosted positive sentiment. As of 9:55 a.m. local time, the Hang Seng Index rose 1.3% to 27,191.99, and Hang Seng Tech rose 2.2%. Tech stocks led the way: Kuaishou surged 8%, Baidu and Alibaba both rose 3.7%, JD.com rose 2.5%, Tencent added 2.1%, Meituan 1.8%, and Xiaomi 1.9% after reporting deliveries of over 40,000 cars in September. Meanwhile, Trip.com fell 1.9%, Pop Mart 1.5%, Li Auto 0.7%, and Anta Sports 1.2%. Mainland Chinese markets were closed...
Asian markets opened higher, following a global rally that pushed world indexes to new records, despite the US entering its first government shutdown in nearly seven years. Japan, South Korea, and Australia all traded in positive territory, with the chip and technology sectors providing key support. In Seoul, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix surged after signing initial supply deals for OpenAI's "Stargate" project. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 rose 0.3% and the Nasdaq 100 added 0.5%, helping lift the MSCI global benchmark index to a new high. In the bond market, Treasuries maintained...
The Nikkei 225 index rose 1.0% to 44,990.71 in early trading, following a record-breaking rally on Wall Street overnight. The market appeared calm despite ongoing concerns about the US government shutdown. The gains were led by pharmaceutical and chip stocks. Chugai Pharmaceutical rose 3.2%, while Lasertec gained 4.4%, amid positive sentiment in the healthcare and technology sectors. On the currency market, USD/JPY was at 147.24, virtually unchanged from 147.34 at the close in Tokyo on Wednesday. The stable rupiah/yen helped maintain interest in export-oriented stocks. Looking ahead,...
Wall Street's indexes closed at record highs on Wednesday, buoyed by strong sector performance and optimism that the US government shutdown will be brief. Investors shrugged off the first day of the shutdown and weaker-than-expected private payrolls data, with the S&P 500 gaining 0.3%, the Nasdaq 100 rising 0.5%, and the Dow adding 43 points. Health-care stocks led the advance, driven by sharp gains in Regeneron (+6.7%), Moderna (+6.8%), Eli Lilly (+8.2%), and AbbVie (+5.5%), while optimism over Pfizer's (+2.2%) deal with the White House on Medicaid drug pricing provided additional...
Europe's STOXX 600 closed at a record high on Wednesday, with healthcare stocks leading the way after a U.S.-Pfizer deal reduced uncertainty in the sector, while investors digested the beginning of a U.S. government shutdown. The pan-European STOXX 600 surged 1.2% to log its biggest one-day percentage gain since July 23. Most regional bourses were also trading higher, with London's FTSE 100 at a record high. Healthcare stocks jumped 5.4%, marking their biggest one-day performance since November 2008. On Tuesday, Pfizer agreed to lower prescription drug prices in the U.S. Medicaid programme...
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....