The EUYR/USD finished Friday's session with gains of over 0.26% amid a weaker US Dollar, following dovish comments by Fed Governor Christopher Waller, which weighed on US Treasury yields. Still, an improvement in Consumer Sentiment capped the Euro's gains, with the pair trading at 1.1626 at the time of writing. Wall Street ended the session on a higher note, as investors cheered comments by Waller, who favors a rate cut in July. Despite this, recent comments by Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee showed that he has moderated his dovish stance, stating that he's wary due to the latest CPI...
European stocks are heading for a mixed open on Friday, as investors assess a signal that China is seeking trade negotiations will the U.S. Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 were seen opening lower, according to IG data, with U.K. stocks moving higher. Most markets were closed on Thursday for the May 1 holiday. London's FTSE 100 ended a choppy session 0.02% higher to mark its 14th straight session in the green, drawing level with its best run since 2017. Earnings in Europe on Friday include bank Standard Chartered, which beat estimates with a 10% gain in first-quarter profit, Natwest and...
(Hong Kong) The Hang Seng Index rose 73 points, or 0.33%, to 22,192. The China Enterprises Index gained 23 points, or 0.29%, to 8,100. The Tech Index increased 24 points, or 0.48%, to 5,112. Tech stocks showed mixed performance. Tencent rose 0.2%, Alibaba increased 1.4%, Meituan fell 0.5%, Xiaomi Group gained 1.1%, JD.com rose 0.6%, and Kuaishou remained unchanged. Financial stocks also showed mixed performance. HSBC Holdings fell 1.2%, with Group Chairman Mark Tucker set to retire before the end of the year. AIA Group rose 2.4%, China Ping An remained unchanged, and Hong Kong Exchanges and...
The Nikkei 225 Index jumped 1% to around 36,800 while the broader Topix Index gained 0.5% to 2,693 on Friday, with Japanese shares scaling one-month highs as investors dialed back expectations on further interest rate hikes from the Bank of Japan this year. The benchmark indexes are also on track to advance for the third consecutive week, recovering all the losses triggered by US President Donald Trump's April 2 announcement of his sweeping reciprocal tariffs. On Thursday, the BOJ kept its policy rate unchanged at 0.5% and slashed its growth and inflation forecasts, signaling a lower...
Asia-Pacific markets trade mixed, even as all three key benchmarks on Wall Street advanced overnight on optimism that a slowdown in the global economy will not impede the progress of developments in artificial intelligence. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.12% at the open. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 added 0.99% while the broader Topix index advanced 0.62% in early trade. Over in South Korea, the Kospi index declined 0.54% while the small-cap Kosdaq was flat. Futures tied to Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index stood at 21,935, pointing to a weaker open compared to the HSI's last close of...
Stocks rose on Thursday after strong quarterly results from two Big Tech players eased concerns that advances in artificial intelligence would slow amid economic turmoil. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 83 points, or 0.2%. The S&P 500 gained 0.6%, near its level before President Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" tariff announcement in early April. The Nasdaq Composite rose more than 1%. Investor concerns that Trump's tariffs and a U.S. economic downturn would threaten AI trading eased after Meta Platforms posted stronger-than-expected first-quarter revenue, with Meta Chief...
Wall Street opened May on a strong note, with the S&P 500 rising 0.8%, the Dow Jones gaining 100 points, and the Nasdaq advancing 1.4%, supported by upbeat earnings from tech giants and optimism over global trade negotiations. Microsoft shares jumped 10% after the company projected stronger-than-expected growth for its Azure cloud business, while Meta gained over 6% on better-than-expected revenue. Meanwhile, General Motors climbed 1.5% after issuing a new 2025 profit forecast, while Eli Lilly lost 6% after its quarterly results and McDonald's slipped 2% following a decline in Q1...
The Nikkei 225 Index surged 1.13% to 36,452, while the broader Topix Index rose 0.46% to 2,679 on Thursday, with Japanese equities hitting a one-month high after the Bank of Japan kept its policy rate unchanged at 0.5%, as expected. Investor sentiment was further boosted by a dovish tilt in the BOJ's outlook, as the central bank cut its growth and inflation forecasts, signaling a lower likelihood of near-term rate hikes. The BOJ now projects GDP growth of 0.5% in 2025, down from 1% in its January forecast. Markets also welcomed renewed optimism over US-Japan trade talks, after President...
The Nikkei 225 Index climbed 0.5% on Thursday to surpass 36,200, reaching a one-month high as investors looked ahead to the Bank of Japan's latest monetary policy decision. The central bank is widely expected to keep its policy rate steady at 0.5%, as it assesses the possible effects of newly imposed US tariffs on Japan's export-reliant economy. Japanese shares also took cues from a positive lead on Wall Street , where investors brushed aside recession concerns after the US economy unexpectedly contracted in the first quarter. Adding to market optimism, hopes for progress in US-Japan trade...
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....