Gold steadied and was set for a moderate weekly loss as investors assessed the outlook for Federal Reserve rate cuts after resilient US jobs and retail data eased concerns about the economy. Bullion traded below $3,340 an ounce, heading for a 0.5% drop on the week. That came after data that showed applications for unemployment benefits fell for a fifth straight week to the lowest level since mid-April, and advancing retail sales in June. San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly said it's reasonable for policymakers to plan on two interest-rate cuts this year, emphasizing that the central bank...
Japan stocks were lower after the close on Friday, as losses in the Textile, Transportation Equipment and Chemical, Petroleum & Plastic sectors led shares lower. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 fell 0.79%. The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. (TYO:7911), which rose 15.52% or 632.00 points to trade at 4,703.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Sony Corp (TYO:6758) added 8.65% or 295.00 points to end at 3,705.00 and Trend Micro Inc. (TYO:4704) was up 6.77% or 735.00 points to 11,595.00 in late trade. The worst performers of the session were...
The Hang Seng Index opened higher, rising 212 points or 0.97%, to reach 22,027 points. The China Enterprises Index climbed 80 points, or 1%, to 8,083, while the Tech Index advanced 75 points, or 1.43%, to 5,310.Technology stocks posted strong performances, with gains across major players. Tencent rose 1.7%, Alibaba edged up 0.1%, Meituan gained 1.4%, Xiaomi rose 1.8%, JD.com climbed 2.3%, and Kuaishou surged 3.3%.Financial stocks also provided significant support to the market. HSBC advanced 0.4%, AIA rose 1.7%, Ping An Insurance increased by 1.2%, and the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing...
The Nikkei 225 Index declined 0.4% to around 39,300 on Friday, ending a three-day rally as the yen sharply rebounded overnight. The currency's rise followed expectations of a softer US PCE inflation reading and a delay in President Trump's reciprocal tariffs. A stronger yen typically weighs on Japan's export-driven industries and makes Japanese assets pricier for foreign investors. Meanwhile, investors continued to navigate Japan's busy earnings season, which has yielded mixed results so far. Notable losses were seen in index heavyweights such as IHI Corp (-2.2%), Fast Retailing (-1.1%), and...
Asia-Pacific markets rose Friday, tracking Wall Street gains overnight as President Donald Trump signed a reciprocal tariffs plans, but did not enact the levies on them immediately.Australia's S&P/ASX 200 started the day 0.76% higher, after hitting a intra-day record in the previous session.Over in Japan, the benchmark Nikkei 225 started the day down 0.15%, while the broader Topix index was up 0.31%.South Korea's Kospi opened 0.14% higher while the small-cap Kosdaq advanced 0.74%.The country's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate hit 2.9% in January, easing from its three-year high of...
US stocks rose on Thursday as a U.S. tariff update helped ease concerns about inflation and global trade tensions, brushing aside hotter-than-expected inflation data. The S&P 500 rose 1%, the Nasdaq 100 gained 1.3% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped more than 350 points, or 0.7%. President Trump signed a memorandum to review reciprocal tariffs on foreign countries but did not impose any levies. He also hinted at the potential for additional tariffs, including on auto imports. The producer price index (PPI) rose 0.4% in January, beating estimates, but a key component that goes...
European stocks closed sharply higher on Thursday, extending this week's strong momentum on the back of strong earnings reports and hopes that Ukraine may soon be on the way out, as investors weighed how new U.S. tariffs could affect European growth. The eurozone STOXX 50 jumped 1.7% to 5,500, its first closing high in 25 years, and the pan-European STOXX 600 gained 1.1% to 554. U.S. President Trump announced upcoming talks with Russian President Putin to negotiate a resolution to the ongoing conflict starting in 2022. Auto stocks led the gains with Mercedes Benz, Volkswagen, up between 7%...
US stocks edged higher on Thursday, with the three major averages up around 0.1%, as investors weighed President Trump's trade policies, corporate earnings, and key inflation data. While PPI figures exceeded forecasts, components feeding into the PCE index slowed, providing some relief after hotter-than-expected inflation data released yesterday. Meanwhile, Trump is set to announce reciprocal tariffs later today. Consumer discretionary and materials led gains, while energy lagged. On the earnings front, Cisco surged over 4% after reporting better-than-expected earnings and revenue, while...
Hong Kong's stock market ended lower Thursday with the benchmark Hang Seng Index down 0.2 percent to close at 21,814.37 points. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index fell 0.69 percent to end at 8,002.63 points, and the Hang Seng Tech Index fell 0.87 percent to end at 5,235.28 points. Source: Bloomberg
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....