US stocks closed higher on Friday, with the S&P 500 up 0.8%, and the Nasdaq climbing nearly 1%, while the Dow gaining 206 points. Technology shares, led by Apple which surged 4.2% following its announcement of a $600 billion US investment plan helped lift the tech-heavy Nasdaq to new intraday highs. Investor optimism was also fueled by expectations of Federal Reserve rate cuts, with President Trump nominating Stephen Miran to the Fed Board, signaling possible shifts in monetary policy, despite concerns over new tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on imports from multiple...
The Japanese Yen (JPY) remained firmer against its US counterpart for the second straight day on Wednesday and reacted little to a mostly in-line Producer Price Index (PPI). Bank of Japan (BOJ) Deputy Governor Shinichi Uchida's aggressive comments on Tuesday opened the door for further policy normalization and continued to act as a tailwind for the JPY. The US Dollar (USD), on the other hand, continued to weaken on Tuesday's softer US consumer inflation figures, which raised bets that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will cut interest rates at least twice this year. This was seen as another factor...
The Australian dollar (AUD) continued its gains against the US dollar (USD) on Wednesday (5/14) after posting a gain of more than 1.50% in the previous session. The AUD/USD pair strengthened as the US dollar weakened following weaker-than-expected US inflation data. The seasonally adjusted Australian Wage Price Index rose 3.4% year-on-year in Q4 2025, up from a 3.2% increase in Q4 2024 and beating market expectations of a 3.2% increase. This marked a recovery from the previous quarter, which recorded the slowest wage growth since Q3 2022. On a quarterly basis, the index rose 0.9% in Q1,...
The US dollar index held around 100.9 on Wednesday, after falling nearly 1% in the previous session, pressured by weaker-than-expected inflation data that only hinted at a limited impact from President Donald Trump's tariffs. The data released Tuesday showed headline inflation eased to 2.3% in April, the lowest level since February 2021, and slightly below market expectations of 2.4%. On the trade front, markets continued to assess the implications of a temporary lifting of US-China tariffs, which would see tariffs reduced to 30% and 10%, respectively, over a 90-day period. The easing...
Gold edged up in early Asia, supported by mild US inflation signs that support the case for further Fed rate cuts that would boost the appeal of the non-interest-bearing precious metal. Economic data released Tuesday showed CPI rose a seasonally adjusted 0.2% in April, but year-on-year CPI cooled to 2.3% last month, the lowest level in four years. Moreover, a "thinning sell-off" in the precious metal appears likely, TD Securities' Daniel Ghali said in a research note. Despite the US-China trade deal, inflows into Chinese gold ETFs continued to strengthen, the senior commodity strategist...
Oil steadied after its biggest four-day rally since October, driven by trade war optimism and U.S. President Donald Trump's increasingly hostile rhetoric on Iranian supplies. West Texas Intermediate traded above $63 a barrel after rising nearly 10% in the previous four sessions, while Brent settled near $67. Trump said during a visit to Saudi Arabia that the U.S. would put maximum pressure on Iran's energy exports if a deal is not reached on the OPEC member's nuclear program, after the State Department earlier imposed sanctions on a pipeline that helps ship the Islamic Republic's oil to...