Gold (XAU/USD) holds firm on Wednesday, with price action contained inside the recent consolidation zone as markets brace for the Federal Reserve's (Fed) interest rate decision. At the time of writing, XAU/USD is hovering near $4,204, down from the intraday high of $4,218. The Fed will announce its policy decision at 19:00 GMT, with markets leaning toward another 25 basis point cut that would lower the Federal Funds Rate to the 3.50%-3.75% range. Expectations for reduced borrowing costs keep Bullion broadly supported, as lower interest rates reduce the opportunity cost of holding...
The Nikkei index has the potential to rise in today's trading after Wall Street rallied overnight. Nikkei futures on the SGX rose around 0.6% to 49,590, signaling a fairly positive start. On Tuesday, the Nikkei closed nearly flat at 49,303.45, so the market is still waiting for a new trigger for a clearer move. On the foreign exchange market, the USD/JPY pair was at 155.83, slightly higher than the Tokyo stock market's closing position on Tuesday of 155.78. This slight weakening of the yen against the dollar typically benefits Japanese exporters, as their dollar earnings appear higher when...
US stocks rebounded on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 rising 0.3%, the Nasdaq up 0.9%, and the Dow Jones up 200 points as the market pared earlier losses and rebounded after Monday's sharp sell-off. Bitcoin's rebound supported risk appetite, while complex AI and software helped stabilize sentiment, with Nvidia up 0.9% and Palantir up 1.9%, although Broadcom fell 1.2% amid profit-taking. The gains were driven less by a string of big tech stocks than previously, but more by a string of high-flying stocks, including Boeing, which surged about 10.2%, Intel, which rose nearly 8.7%, and AppLovin,...
US stocks were higher on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 gaining 0.3%, the Nasdaq up 0.7%, and the Dow Jones adding about 20 points, attempting to rebound from Monday's losses. The risk-off mood that dominated the previous session eased, helped in part by a rebound in the Japanese bond market. Traders are also awaiting a series of economic releases due this week, including the September PCE report, ahead of next week's FOMC meeting, where the Fed is widely expected to cut the federal funds rate by 25 bps. Market pricing places the odds of such a move at around 87%. The tech sector booked the...
European stocks traded in mixed territory on Tuesday, with shares struggling to find momentum after a broad sell-off marked the first day of the new month. Shortly after the opening bell, the pan-European Stoxx 600 hovered just above the flatline, with no consensus movement seen among sectors and major bourses. Regional stocks traded lower on Monday, marking a gloomy start to the last trading month of the year in which investors are now expecting the U.S. Federal Reserve to cut interest rates when it meets on Dec. 9-10. Traders are pricing in an 87.2% chance of a quarter-point rate cut,...
The Hang Seng edged up 62 points, or 0.2%, to close at 26,095 on Tuesday, reversing prior-session losses amid gains in consumer stocks. Traders awaited insights from China's annual Central Economic Work Conference and the December Politburo meeting, while seeking opportunities in undervalued sectors. Locally, Hong Kong retail sales rose the most since late 2023 in October, marking a fourth straight monthly gain on the back of steady visitor arrivals. Early gains were trimmed as mainland markets fell, amid caution ahead of Wednesday's private Composite and Services PMIs. On the corporate...
The Nikkei 225 was little changed, closing at 49,303, while the broader Topix Index edged up 0.08% to 3,341 on Tuesday, as markets stabilized after a 1.89% drop in the previous session. Market sentiment improved after Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said the BOJ would weigh the risks of rate increases while keeping financial conditions accommodative even after a potential hike. Sentiment was further boosted by Japanese Finance Minister Satyuki Katayama, who said there was no gap between the government and the Bank of Japan in their assessments of the economy. Gains in financials,...
Japanese stocks closed slightly lower on Tuesday, with the Nikkei 225 index down just 0.01%. The main pressure came from the Paper & Pulp, Transportation, and Communications sectors, which tended to weaken. Although the index appeared sluggish, the market was actually quite lively under the surface: the number of declining stocks far outnumbered the advancing ones, at 2,535 to 1,035, while the remaining 256 stocks remained unchanged. On the other hand, several leading stocks still stole the show. Nippon Electric Glass Co., Ltd. surged nearly 10% to 6,335.00, hitting a five-year high....
Asia Pacific stock markets opened cautiously on Tuesday morning, December 2, 2025. Sentiment remained weighed down by the global downturn in early December, the sharp fall in the crypto market, and concerns about rising bond yields, which have made investors more risk-averse. The benchmark Asian stock index had previously fallen around 0.3%, led by a decline in the Japanese market, after a hawkish statement from the Bank of Japan (BOJ) sparked concerns about faster policy tightening. This morning's focus remained on Japan. The main Japanese stock index was trading around 49,500 points and...
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....