The US Dollar Index (DXY) continued its strengthening for a second day and briefly hovered around 98.20 during the Asian session, driven by hawkish comments from Kansas City Fed President Jeffrey Schmid. He emphasized that the Fed must maintain credibility in combating inflation, stating that inflation remains too high, and assessing that current monetary policy is "properly calibrated." However, this encouragement is met with growing expectations of an interest rate cut, coupled with the ongoing US government shutdown. The CME FedWatch tool now projects a 94% chance of a 25 bps cut in...
US stocks rose on Tuesday as hopes of an easing in the US-China trade war lifted investor sentiment after a sharp sell-off the previous day. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq each rose 2.5%, while the Dow Jones jumped 1,016 points. Optimism was fueled by comments from Treasury Secretary Bessent at a JPMorgan-hosted summit, in which he said the current tariff standoff was "unsustainable" and hinted that negotiations with China were moving toward a resolution. However, gains eased later in the day as Bessent acknowledged that formal talks had not yet begun and warned that negotiations would likely be...
European stocks reversed early losses and closed higher on Tuesday, helped by a rebound in U.S. equities as markets continued to assess how lower trade risks with the U.S. could affect Europe's corporate giants. The eurozone STOXX 50 gained 0.4% to close at 4,956 and the pan-European STOXX 600 gained 0.2% to close at 508. Carmakers were among the biggest gainers on the session, with Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Volkswagen all up more than 2%. Banks, meanwhile, were solidly ahead, with BNP Paribas, Intesa Sanpaolo and ING all up around 1.5%, although UniCredit slumped almost 3% after the Italian...
US stocks were higher on Tuesday, trimming the selloff from the prior session as markets continued to assess risks to the autonomy of the Federal Reserve and the uncertain economic policy route by the Presidential administration. The S&P 500, the Nasdaq 100, and the Dow were all up by slightly more than 1%. Equities booked sharp losses at the start of the week, aligning with declines in Treasury securities and the US dollar after President Trump and cabinet members signaled pressure on Fed Chair Powell to be replaced. This extended the pivot away from dollar assets amid ongoing trade...
The Hang Seng rose 167 points or 0.8% to close at 21,562 on Tuesday, swinging from early declines amid a jump in U.S. futures. The recovery followed a rout on Wall Street Monday, after President Trump intensified pressure on Fed Chair Jerome Powell, labeling him a "major loser" and demanding immediate rate cuts. Investor sentiment also improved after reports suggested China's "national team" and retail investors stepped in to support mainland equities. All sectors ended in the green, led by property, financials, and consumer stocks. Wanda Hotel surged 9.7% after Tongcheng Travel agreed to...
Major bourses in Europe were lower on Tuesday, with both the STOXX 50 and the STOXX 600 down 0.6%, as investors returned from the Easter break amid renewed concerns over trade tensions, the economic outlook, and the independence of the Federal Reserve. President Trump intensified his criticism of Fed Chair Jerome Powell, increasing pressure on the central bank to cut interest rates, and fueling fresh concerns about its autonomy. Meanwhile, trade negotiations between the US and other countries over tariffs are ongoing. Investors are also closely watching the IMF Spring Meetings this week,...
Japan stocks were lower after the close on Tuesday, as losses in the Paper & Pulp, Transport and Communication sectors led shares lower. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 fell 0.14%. The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Hino Motors, Ltd. (TYO:7205), which rose 5.76% or 24.70 points to trade at 453.30 at the close. Meanwhile, Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. (TYO:5713) added 4.98% or 151.00 points to end at 3,185.00 and Mitsubishi Corp. (TYO:8058) was up 3.88% or 94.50 points to 2,528.50 in late trade. The worst performers of the session were Taiyo Yuden Co.,...
European markets are expected to return from the long Easter weekend on a positive note. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index is expected to open 60 points higher at 8,254, Germany's DAX up 253 points at 21,064, France's CAC 81 points higher at 7,241 and Italy's FTSE MIB 441 points higher at 34,967, according to data from IG. There are no major earnings or data releases from Europe Tuesday but traders will be keeping an eye on news and comment out of the IMF-World Bank Spring meetings in Washington this week, where the threat and fallout from U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs regime is likely to...
Stocks in Hong Kong fell 104 points or 0.5% to 21,292 in early trade on Tuesday, following an overnight slump on Wall Street after U.S. President Trump intensified criticism of Fed Chair Powell, calling him "a major loser" for not cutting interest rates. Trading resumed in the city after the holiday break, weighed down by fresh tensions as China warned it would retaliate against any trade deals with the U.S. that undermine its interests. Losses were partially limited by comments from Premier Li Qiang, who urged officials to step up efforts to stabilize the stock market. Meanwhile, the...
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....