Silver surged more than 4% to above $66 per ounce on Wednesday, hitting fresh all-time highs as investors increasingly price in two interest rate cuts in early 2026. Support came from comments by Fed Governor Christopher Waller, a leading contender for the Fed chair role, who said US borrowing costs should be up to one percentage point lower. Waller warned that job growth has slowed to near zero and called for measured rate cuts next year to help support employment. Earlier in the week, US labor data reinforced signs of a cooling job market. The unemployment rate climbed to 4.6%, its...
European stocks closed mostly lower on Wednesday with losses from tech, consumer defensive companies, and miners as markets continued to assess the outlook on global rates and geopolitical risk. The Eurozone's STOXX 50 closed dropped 0.2% to 5,378 and the pan-European STOXX 600 inched below the flatline to 552. The ECB is expected to leave borrowing costs unchanged tomorrow, though updated economic forecasts and guidance on the policy outlook will be closely watched. Geopolitical risks also remained in focus: Israel carried out strikes on Hamas targets in Qatar, while Poland intercepted...
The S&P 500 jumped to a fresh record on Wednesday after a reading on wholesale prices unexpectedly declined, a welcome development for investors clamoring for a Federal Reserve rate cut next week to boost the economy. Oracle shares led the gains with a more than 30% surge following an eye-popping forecast tied to artificial intelligence. The broad market index climbed 0.5%, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.3%. The Nasdaq, alongside the S&P 500, had reached a new all-time intraday high in the trading day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 106 points, or 0.2%. Market sentiment...
The Hang Seng Index surged 262 points, or 1%, to close at 26,200 on Wednesday, rallying for a fourth straight session to a four-year high, driven by gains across all sectors. The index followed Wall Street's advance amid growing bets that recent US labor market weakness will prompt the Fed to cut interest rates by at least 25 basis points next week, with upcoming inflation data set to provide the final clue. In China, the sharpest CPI decline in six months in August rekindled hopes for fresh government support, potentially boosting the trade-in value of consumer goods, while producer...
European stocks have opened higher as a bit of political calm enters the market. The Stoxx 600 Index was up 0.6% in its third session of straight gains. Retailers led the rally as Inditex shares jumped after the Zara-owner said it has seen a strong start to the third quarter. Technology shares were also notable outperformers, with the sector getting a boost from a bullish outlook from US peer Oracle. Chipmaker TSMC also reported a 34% in August sales, adding to optimism that AI is set to be a big growth area for the industry. Meanwhile, France's CAC 40 index climbed 0.6% as President...
Japanese shares rose on Wednesday, tracking Wall Street gains, as traders bet U.S. labor market weakness would prompt a Federal Reserve rate cut next week. The Nikkei 225 rose 0.87%, or 378.38 points, to end at 43,837.67. Traders see a Fed rate cut next Wednesday as certain, with 7% odds on a half-point move, CME's FedWatch Tool showed. A week ago, markets still saw a chance of no cut, but weak payrolls shifted expectations. Producer and consumer inflation data this week are the final tests. In economic data, Japanese manufacturers' sentiment hit a three-year high in September, lifted by...
The Hang Seng Index opened higher today, gaining 104 points to reach 26,042, before extending its rise by 227 points, or 0.87%, to settle at 26,165. This marks the index's fourth consecutive day of increases. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index also rose by 80 points, or 0.87%, to 9,323, while the Technology Index climbed by 105 points, or 1.8%, to 5,933. Trading volume on the main board reached HK$73.7 billion. In the technology sector, stocks showed mixed results. Tencent rose by 1.5%, Alibaba experienced a significant gain of 3.5%, and Meituan increased by 2.1%. However, Xiaomi Group...
Japanese shares rose on expectations of expansionary fiscal policies even as the country's ruling party is set to hold a leadership contest and find a replacement for outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Sentiment was also upbeat after Wall Street's gains on hopes the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates to curb a jobs downturn. The Topix Index rose 0.1% to 3,126.18 as of 9:15 a.m. Tokyo time The Nikkei advanced 0.4% to 43,646.92 SoftBank Group Corp. contributed the most to the Topix Index gain, increasing 6.8%. Out of 1,676 stocks in the index,...
Asia-Pacific markets opened mostly higher Wednesday ahead of key August inflation data from China. The mainland's August consumer price index is expected to fall 0.2% from the previous year, according to economists polled by Reuters, and compares with July's flat reading. Meanwhile, the producer price index is expected to fall 2.9% year on year, improving from the 3.6% drop in July. Japan's Nikkei 225 benchmark opened 0.2% higher, while the Topix index was flat. Over in Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 opened flat. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was set to open higher, with the futures...
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....