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...
The USD/JPY pair loses ground to near 146.85 during the early Asian session on Friday. The Japanese Yen (JPY) edges higher against the US Dollar (USD) after the release of Japan's Tokyo August Consumer Price Index report. The attention will shift to the US July Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index report, which is due later on Friday. Data released by the Statistics Bureau of Japan on Friday showed that the headline Tokyo CPI rose 2.6% YoY in August versus 2.9% prior. Meanwhile, Tokyo's core CPI inflation eased to 2.5% YoY in August from 2.9% in July, matching market...
Oil edged lower to head for a monthly loss, as investors weighed concerns about a looming glut along with geopolitical tensions, including US-led efforts to end the war in Ukraine. West Texas Intermediate fell toward $64 a barrel, with the US benchmark more than 7% lower in August, while Brent posted a modest gain on Thursday. Oil prices have lost ground this month amid concerns that global supplies will run ahead of demand in the coming quarters, boosting stockpiles. Traders are also focused on Ukraine, and crude supplies from OPEC+ member Russia. US President Donald Trump...
EUR/USD edges up late in the North American session on Thursday, as the US Dollar (USD) fails to gain traction on upbeat US data, amid the ongoing conflict between US President Donald Trump and Federal Reserve (Fed) Governor Lisa Cook. At the time of writing, the pair trades at 1.1688, up 0.43%. Traders remained hooked to the battle between the Fed and the White House as the latest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures and Initial Jobless Claims in the US showed that the economy is solid. Consequently, the Greenback depreciated for the third consecutive day as traders seeking safety bought...
The Japanese Yen (JPY) strengthens against the US Dollar (USD) on Thursday, with USD/JPY slipping below the 147.00 mark as the Greenback remains under pressure. Concerns over the Federal Reserve's (Fed) independence and expectations of a dovish policy shift, reinforced by Chair Jerome Powell's remarks at the Jackson Hole Symposium, overshadow the impact of upbeat US data. At the time of writing, USD/JPY trades near 146.85 in the American session, down around 0.40% on the day. The move coincides with a broader decline in the US Dollar, with the Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the...
The dollar was lower against the euro and the yen on Thursday, as traders added to bets that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next month after New York Fed chief John Williams signalled such a move was possible. The U.S. currency has been under renewed pressure from President Donald Trump's ramped-up campaign to exert more influence over monetary policy, and as he attempted to fire Lisa Cook, one of the Fed's governors. Cook filed a lawsuit on Thursday, claiming Trump has no power to remove her from office. The buck did trim some of its losses after Thursday's data showed...