Gold prices (XAU/USD) have declined from the $3,369 region, a more than one-week high touched during the Asian session on Monday (August 4th), and currently appear to be stagnating after a relatively strong recovery from last week's one-month low. The US dollar (USD) attracted buying interest earlier this week, reversing some of the weakness triggered by Friday's weaker US employment data, along with a modest rebound in US Treasury bond yields. This, in turn, has been a major factor undermining the precious metal. Source: Newsmaker.id
The Hang Seng rose 65 points, or 0.3%, to close at 23,006 on Monday, ending two straight days of declines as traders eagerly awaited the start of China's National People's Congress on Tuesday. Analysts expect officials to set a growth target of around 5% and a budget deficit of 4% of GDP for this year during the crucial annual meeting. Investors are also hoping that U.S. tariffs on China could be delayed or reduced after President Trump announced plans to impose an additional 10% tariff on all Chinese imports starting March 4, after the 10% levy was imposed on Feb. 4. Meanwhile, China's...
European markets are set to start the week on a positive note, with defense stocks seen opening sharply higher after regional leaders held security talks that discussed higher military spending. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 is expected to open 42 points higher at 8,846, Germany's DAX is up 135 points at 22,621, France's CAC is up 34 points at 8,124 and Italy's FTSE MIB is up 18 points at 38,798, according to data from IG. Earnings are due from Euroapi and Bunzl, and key data releases include preliminary euro zone inflation data for February, with the latest consumer price index due ahead of the...
Japan stocks were higher after the close on Monday, as gains in the Mining, Gas & Water and Insurance sectors led shares higher. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 rose 1.81%. The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were IHI Corp. (TYO:7013), which rose 7.75% or 677.00 points to trade at 9,408.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Recruit Holdings Co Ltd (TYO:6098) added 6.93% or 610.00 points to end at 9,410.00 and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (TYO:7011) was up 6.74% or 134.00 points to 2,121.00 in late trade. The worst performers of the session were DeNA Co Ltd...
Hong Kong's equities surged 370 points or 1.6% to 23,313 in early trade on Monday, reversing losses from the previous two sessions as traders reacted positively to February's PMI readings in China. Factory activity in the country grew the most in three months, a private survey data showed. Meanwhile, official figures showed the manufacturing sectors unexpectedly expanded while the service economy rose slightly faster than expected. Source: Trading Economics
The Nikkei 225 Index surged 0.9% to around 37,500, while the broader Topix Index gained 1.1% to 2,711 on Monday, recovering some of last week's losses, supported by Wall Street's strong finish on Friday. However, investors remained cautious ahead of the March 4 deadline for US President Donald Trump's proposed 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada, along with an additional 10% duty on Chinese goods. Geopolitical concerns also remained, as Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky failed to reach an agreement on Friday that could potentially end the war in Ukraine. Domestically, Japan's...