Gold prices hit an all-time high on Monday (October 6), surging above $3,900 an ounce, as investors flocked to safe-haven assets amid the US government shutdown, broader economic uncertainty, and the prospect of further Federal Reserve interest rate cuts. Spot gold rose 1.4% to $3,940.04 an ounce, as of 11:08 GMT, after reaching $3,949.34 earlier in the session. US gold futures for December delivery rose 1.4% to $3,964.50. Washington will begin mass layoffs of federal workers if US President Donald Trump decides negotiations with Democratic lawmakers to end the partial government shutdown...
The Hang Seng rose 136 points or 0.6% to close at 24,028 on Thursday, partly recovering from a sharp drop the day before amid strong gains in financial and property stocks. Traders looked for signs of policy support after China's producer prices last month shrank the most in near two years. Meanwhile, minutes from the June FOMC meeting showed that "most participants" expected rate cuts would be appropriate later this year, with any inflation from tariffs seen as "temporary or modest." Markets largely brushed off fresh tariff threats from U.S. President Trump, with analysts noting investors...
European stocks edged higher Thursday, with investors showing a degree of confidence even after U.S. President Donald Trump's latest salvo of trade tariffs. At 03:05 ET (07:05 GMT), the DAX index in Germany gained 0.4%, the CAC 40 in France climbed 0.4% and the FTSE 100 in the U.K. rose 0.8%. New U.S. tariff ratesOn Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump sent letters dictating new U.S. tariff rates on at least seven more countries' imports, adding to the letters sent to 14 other countries earlier this week. He also announced a 50% tariff on Brazil after a spat with his Brazilian...
Japan stocks were lower after the close on Thursday, as losses in the Paper & Pulp, Transport and Communication sectors led shares lower. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 declined 0.37%. The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Rakuten Inc (TYO:4755), which rose 3.23% or 25.30 points to trade at 808.50 at the close. Meanwhile, Hoya Cor (TYO:7741) added 3.22% or 555.00 points to end at 17,780.00 and Resonac Holdings Corp (TYO:4004) was up 2.46% or 84.00 points to 3,498.00 in late trade. The worst performers of the session were Nikon Corp. (TYO:7731), which fell...
The Hang Seng Index started the day with a 26-point or 0.11% decline, settling at 23,865 points. Meanwhile, the H-share index dropped by 8 points or 0.09%, reaching 8,588 points, and the technology index saw a 13-point or 0.26% decrease, standing at 5,218 points. In the realm of tech stocks, Tencent remained stable; Alibaba experienced a 0.8% decline; Meituan saw a 1% drop; Xiaomi Group rose by 0.1%; and Kuaishou dropped by 0.3%. The fluctuations in the financial sector were mixed, with HSBC Holdings rising by 0.1%; AIA Insurance declining by 0.1%; Ping An of China remaining unchanged; and...
The Nikkei 225 Index fell 0.4% to below 39,700 while the broader Topix Index dropped 0.6% to 2,810 on Thursday, erasing gains from the previous session as stalled trade negotiations between the US and Japan weighed on sentiment. US President Donald Trump recently announced a 25% tariff on Japanese goods, set to take effect on August 1, while ruling out any deadline extensions. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba called the move "truly regrettable," though he reaffirmed Japan's willingness to continue dialogue in pursuit of a mutually beneficial agreement. According to a think tank, the...
Asia-Pacific markets open mixed on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. will slap a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports beginning August 1. In a letter, Trump said the new tariff — a sharp increase from the 10% rate set in April — is also meant to address what he called a "very unfair trade relationship" between the U.S. and Brazil. The steep rise is also partly in retaliation for the ongoing prosecution of the country's former president, Jair Bolsonaro, Trump added. Opening calls from sunny Singapore Good morning from Singapore! Asia-Pacific markets are set to...
US stocks closed higher on Wednesday (July 9th) as investors weighed the impact of expanding tariffs on corporate earnings and future Federal Reserve policy. The S&P 500 rose 0.6%, snapping a two-day losing streak, while the Dow rose 217 points and the Nasdaq 100 gained 0.7% after Nvidia briefly touched a $4 trillion valuation. The minutes of the Fed's June meeting revealed that officials viewed the newly announced tariffs as inflationary, leading them to delay further interest rate cuts earlier this year. The release came shortly after President Trump expanded the list of countries...
The European stock markets closed higher in Wednesday trading as the Stoxx Europe 600 rose 0.73%, Germany's DAX advanced 1.30%, the FTSE 100 was up 0.15%, France's CAC 40 increased 1.44%, and the Swiss Market Index gained 0.30%. In corporate news, British oil and gas giant BP said Wednesday that it reached an agreement to sell its mobility and convenience and BP pulse businesses in the Netherlands, which includes 300 fuel retail sites and 15 electric vehicle charging hubs, to Catom. Pharmaceutical company Merck said Wednesday that it has agreed to acquire UK-based biopharmaceutical company...
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....