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 stocks were lower after the close on Friday, as losses in the Paper & Pulp, Transport and Communication sectors led shares lower. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 fell 0.84%. The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Mitsui Mining and Smelting Co. (TYO:5706), which rose 3.46% or 195.00 points to trade at 5,826.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd. (TYO:3863) added 2.96% or 33.00 points to end at 1,146.00 and Toho Co., Ltd. (TYO:9602) was up 2.05% or 199.00 points to 9,902.00 in late trade. The worst performers of the session were...
The Hang Seng Index started the day with a decline of 135 points, or 0.53%, settling at 25,531 points. The China Enterprises Index dropped 41 points, or 0.45%, to 9,216 points, while the Hang Seng Tech Index fell 29 points, or 0.51%, to 5,713 points. Technology stocks faced downward pressure, with Kuaishou sliding by 1.57%, Alibaba dropping 1%, Tencent falling 0.9%, and Trip.com Group losing 0.39%. Xiaomi Group recorded a marginal decline of 0.09%, while Meituan remained unchanged. Financial stocks showed a mixed trend. AIA Group saw the largest drop, down 1.89%, followed by Ping An...
The Nikkei 225 fell 0.4% to below 41,700, while the Topix Index dropped 0.6% to 2,960 on Friday, as investors booked profits following a sharp rally that pushed both indexes to new highs. Despite the pullback, both benchmarks remain on track to post weekly gains of over 4%, buoyed by optimism around the recently signed US-Japan trade deal. Under the agreement, Japanese exports to the US will face a 15% tariff, well below the 25% threatened by President Trump earlier this month, easing some trade-related uncertainty. On the economic front, Tokyo's core inflation came in slightly below...
Asia-Pacific markets traded lower as investors weigh recent trade developments. Asia markets started the trading day lower. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 0.24%, while the Topix lost 0.55%. South Korea's Kospi was flat and the small-cap Kosdaq slipped 0.48%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.41%. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 was set to start the trading day lower, with the futures contract in Chicago at 41,740 and its counterpart in Osaka at 41,640, against the index's last close at 41,826.34. Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng index stood at 25,505, pointing to a weaker open...
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 closed at new record highs on Thursday (July 24), up 0.1% and 0.2%, respectively. This was supported by Alphabet's strong earnings, which bolstered investor confidence in AI investments. Alphabet shares rose 1% after the company beat second-quarter expectations and raised its 2025 capital spending forecast by $10 billion, lifting shares of other tech giants like Microsoft, Nvidia, and Amazon. Tesla fell 7.9% after CEO Elon Musk warned of challenging quarters ahead. The Dow Jones Industrial Average weakened, dropping 270 points, pressured by an 8% drop in IBM...