Silver prices weakened slightly and are now hovering around US$39–39.40 per ounce, still near their highest levels since 2011. Strengthening bond yields and the US dollar have somewhat curbed the upward trend, but the white metal still posted a year-over-year surge of more than 36%—leading gold's rise of around 31%. The global silver market has recorded a deficit for five consecutive years, and by 2025, a shortfall of approximately 149 million ounces is expected. Mine production has increased slightly, but not enough to offset surging demand. Despite pressure from a strengthening US dollar...
Japan's Nikkei share average snapped a five-day winning streak to fall more than 1% on Tuesday, as investors sold stocks amid uncertainty over U.S.-Japan trade talks. The Nikkei fell 1.24% to 39,986.33, slipping from the highest level since mid-July, which it reached in the previous session. The broader Topix slipped 0.73% to 2,832.07. "The market was overheated, but there were some factors that boosted demand last month," said Hiroyuki Ueno, chief strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management. Japanese equities mirrored a rally in U.S. stocks in the past several sessions, but...
Japanese shares slid, snapping a five-day winning streak, as a stronger yen weighed on exporters and fresh comments from Donald Trump clouded expectations for progress in US-Japan tariff negotiations. Topix Index fell 0.8% to 2,830.16 as of 10:37 a.m. Tokyo time Nikkei declined 1.1% to 40,035.03 Out of 1,681 stocks in the Topix, 433 rose and 1,191 fell, while 57 were unchanged. The yen rose as much as 0.4% against the dollar Tuesday morning, holding its gains after better-than-forecast business sentiment data. That pressured large-cap exporters and dragged down the...
Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed Tuesday as investors assessed the record gains on Wall Street and the global impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff policies as his 90-day tariff reprieve is set to expire next week. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that there are "countries that are negotiating in good faith." However, he added that tariffs could still "spring back" to the levels announced on April 2 "if we can't get across the line because they are being recalcitrant." Japan's Nikkei 225 benchmark fell 0.58% after hitting an over 11-month high in its previous...
U.S. stocks rose on Monday as investors looked to close out a volatile first half of 2025 with fresh record highs. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 both rose 0.5%, extending their all-time highs, while the Dow gained 207 points, helped by strong performances from Big Tech giants such as Microsoft and Meta, which also hit new peaks. Optimism grew amid signs of progress in trade negotiations, highlighted by Canada's recent decision to scrap its digital services tax targeting U.S. tech companies—an easing of tensions that had rattled markets. Investors remained focused on a July 9 deadline for...
European stocks closed mostly lower on Monday as markets assessed the extent of U.S. tariffs on major trading partners. The STOXX 50 fell 0.4% to 5,305 and the STOXX 200 lost 0.4% to 542. U.S. officials helped make progress on negotiations with key partners such as China and the European Union, while Canada scrapped a planned Digital Services Tax following President Trump's announcement over the weekend that he would halt all trade discussions with Canada. Monday also marked the official start of the U.K.-U.S. trade deal brokered last month. On the data front, inflation in Germany...