Oil prices rose slightly in trading on Tuesday (January 20) after better-than-expected Chinese economic data boosted demand optimism. Brent crude rose 19 cents (0.3%) to $64.13/barrel, while February WTI which expires today rose 25 cents (0.4%) to $59.69/barrel. The more active March WTI contract also edged higher to around $59.42/barrel. This strengthening was driven by news from China, the world's largest oil importer. The Chinese economy reportedly grew 5.0% through 2025, meeting the government's target. Refinery activity also increased, with refinery throughput rising 4.1% and crude oil...
The Hong Kong stock exchange opened Wednesday with limited gains. The Hang Seng Index edged up around 24 points to 25,954, indicating the market hasn't fully lifted its cautious stance. Early in the session, technology and financial stocks were the main focus due to their inconsistent movements. In the technology sector, the Hang Seng Technology Index rose around 0.37% to 5,666, while the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index also gained around 0.19% to 9,192. Several major names, such as Tencent and Alibaba, moved positively, rising around 0.6% and 0.7%, respectively. Meituan and JD.com only...
The Nikkei index closed down 0.9% to 48,281.47 in today's trading, erasing all of its early-session gains. Risk-off sentiment reigned, resulting in bargain hunting not being strong enough to withstand selling pressure. Global stock markets have been under considerable pressure in recent days. FOREX.com Global Macro Analyst, Fawad Razaqzada, said global markets are under intense pressure. One of the triggers for negative sentiment in the technology sector is concerns ahead of Nvidia's financial report release on Wednesday local time. Investors are opting for caution and tending to reduce...
Asian equities swung between small gains and losses as investors weighed the fallout from the selloff in global stocks, with traders watching whether regional markets can stabilize after Wall Street's sharp losses. MSCI's stocks gauge for Asia Pacific fell around 0.1% after the index had its biggest drop since early April. Contracts for US stocks edged lower in early Asian trade after the S&P 500 index fell for a fourth day. A basket of the Magnificent Seven companies declined 1.8%. Nvidia Corp., at the center of the AI frenzy, slumped 2.8%...
The Dow Jones Industrial Average faced renewed downside pressure on Tuesday, tumbling 680 points from the previous day's close at its lowest before finding a half-hearted technical floor near 46,255. The major equity index has pushed into a fourth consecutive bearish day as investors face headwinds on multiple fronts. US labor data continues to tease around the edges of a steepening downturn after US Initial Jobless Claims came in within familiar territory, rising slightly to 232K from the previous print of 219K. ADP's Employment Change 4-week average improved to -2.5K from the previous...
European stocks sank to close around one-month lows on Tuesday, extending the selloff from the prior sessions and tracking the poor momentum for global equities as concerns of an overvalued global tech sector and high rates by the Federal Reserve erased demand for riskier assets. The STOXX 50 fell 1.9% to 5,540 and the STOXX 600 dropped 1.8% to 561. Losses for equities in the Eurozone were broadly distributed among the major sectors in the bloc, with Santander, Intesa Sanpaolo, and ING dropping over 3% each to lead the losses for lenders. Consumer cyclicals and tech were also under...