Gold (XAU/USD) retreats slightly after touching a fresh all-time high earlier this Tuesday, though any meaningful corrective slide seems elusive amid a supportive fundamental backdrop. The US Dollar (USD) attracts some buyers for the second straight day and turns out to be a key factor undermining demand for the commodity. Apart from this, the underlying bullish sentiment contributes to capping the safe-haven bullion amid still overbought conditions on short-term charts. However, the growing acceptance that the US Federal Reserve (Fed) will lower borrowing costs two more times this year...
European stocks rose on Friday, boosted by stronger-than-expected U.S. payrolls data for April and signs that China may resume trade talks with the U.S. The Stoxx 50 jumped 1.9% and the Stoxx 600 gained 1.7%, led by a 3% rally in technology stocks. London's FTSE 100 rose more than 1%, marking its longest daily winning streak on record. Shell rose 1.9% after beating Q1 profit expectations and launching a $3.5 billion share buyback. Standard Chartered also beat estimates, boosted by gains in wealth management and global banking, while NatWest reported better-than-expected profit of £1.8...
US stocks were firmly higher on Friday after evidence of a strong labor market softened concerns of a recession this year. The S&P 500, the Dow, and the Nasdaq 100 were all above 1% higher, with the former two set to record a nine-session win streak. The US added 177 thousand jobs in April, more than expectations of 130 thousand, while the unemployment rate remained unchanged and wages grew loosely in line with expectations. The stronger momentum was also owed to China noting that it will consider starting talks with the White House on potential trade deals. Gains were broad-based...
Japan stocks were higher after the close on Friday, as gains in the Real Estate, Banking and Textile sectors led shares higher. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 gained 0.98% to hit a new 1-month high. The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Yamato Holdings Co., Ltd. (TYO:9064), which rose 5.32% or 105.00 points to trade at 2,077.50 at the close. Meanwhile, Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co Ltd (TYO:4506) added 5.26% or 47.00 points to end at 941.00 and Otsuka Holdings Ltd (TYO:4578) was up 5.22% or 382.00 points to 7,697.00 in late trade. The worst performers of the...
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...
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....