The Hang Seng Index reversed its downward trend in Hong Kong on Thursday (February 12th), weakening by around 0.9% to around 27,000 after a strong session earlier. This decline halted the momentum of the short term rally, as investors began to reduce risk in large cap stocks. Among the index's contributors, Tencent was a major drag, with its shares falling by around 2.3%, putting pressure on the technology sector, which has recently been a driving force behind market gains. Weakness in large cap companies like this typically quickly impacts sentiment due to their significant weighting in...
U.S. President Donald Trump expressed disappointment with Russian President Vladimir Putin and indicated his administration plans to take action regarding casualties in the Ukraine war. "I am very disappointed in President Putin, I can say that, and we will be doing something to help people live," Trump said Tuesday during an interview on The Scott Jennings Radio Show. Meanwhile,Trump not concerned about China-Russia axisU.S. President Donald Trump stated he is "not concerned at all" about a potential axis forming against the United States that includes China and Russia. Trump made these...
President Xi Jinping used a mix of friendliness and economic appeal this week to send a clear message to Donald Trump: Beijing has too much global influence for the US to dictate. Cameras captured the Chinese leader in a rare, unscripted meeting on Monday with Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi – his strongest allies in countering America on the world stage – at a summit in the Chinese port city of Tianjin. At one point, Xi held hands with his Indian counterpart, while the three men shared a lighthearted laugh, a striking sight considering that just months earlier, New Delhi and Beijing were...
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended President Donald Trump's removal of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, saying the central bank has "made a lot of mistakes" even as he stressed its independence, according to a Reuters interview. Speaking to Reuters, Bessent argued that allegations of mortgage fraud against Cook warranted scrutiny and suggested she should resign if they prove true. "She hasn't said she didn't do it. She's just saying the president can't fire her. There's a big difference," Bessent told Reuters. Cook, the first Black woman to serve on the Fed Board, was...
President Donald Trump's latest legal setback regarding tariffs is increasing uncertainty for American importers and delaying the economic benefits that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick predicted his administration would generate. A US appeals court ruling late Friday, declaring most of Trump's tariffs illegal, adds further complications and calls into question the president's authority to tax companies to incentivize them to produce or source needed resources domestically. The judges left the levies in place while the case proceeds, threatening to freeze corporate investment decisions...
Indonesia's central bank will remain active in the foreign exchange market to stabilise the rupiah, it said on Friday, while the stock exchange regulator said market fundamentals remained strong despite a sudden fall in prices. The rupiah dropped nearly 1% on Friday to its weakest level since August 1 before regaining some of the losses. The stock index fell as much as 2% to reach its lowest point since August 12. Bank Indonesia (BI) will continue to take action to stabilise the rupiah by intervening in offshore and onshore non-deliverable forward markets and the spot market, said Erwin...