The Hang Seng fell 94 points or 0.4% to end at 25,519 on Thursday, snapping the three-day winning streak after reversing early gains. Sentiment weakened ahead of China's July activity data due Friday, with investors wary of the impact from U.S. tariffs, soft demand, and recent adverse weather. Industrial output and retail sales in the mainland are expected to slow, while the jobless rate may edge higher. Meantime, fresh data showed new yuan loans logged their first monthly drop since 2005, as banks typically ease lending in July. Most sectors declined, led by tech, consumer, and...
Oil fell for a second day following reports Iran is willing to give up nuclear weapons in a deal with the U.S. in return for sanctions relief. West Texas Intermediate fell to $62 a barrel, after dropping 0.8% on Wednesday, when Brent closed near $66. Iran is ready to sign the deal under certain conditions, NBC reported, citing Ali Shamkhani, a top adviser to the OPEC nation's top leader. Crude fell on Wednesday after government data showed U.S. inventories rose by the most since March, ending a four-day rally that had seen them rise nearly 10%. The gains were driven by a trade truce between...
EUR/USD trimmed momentum sharply on Wednesday, sticking to a flat holding pattern near the 1.1200 handle despite an early pop in bids. European economic data has been largely a non-starter this week, as is typical. However, a one-two punch of key inflation data from the United States (US) has given plenty of traders something to chew on. German final Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) for April came in exactly as expected on Wednesday, and data on the US side was strictly mid-tier, giving markets some breathing space between this week's Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation data...
The AUD/USD pair is trading near the lower end of its daily range, reflecting a mixed technical outlook. The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the performance of the US Dollar (USD) against six major currencies, has dipped toward the 100.60 area, pressured by soft US inflation data and speculation about a possible dovish shift from the Federal Reserve (Fed). US officials recently downplayed speculation about a deliberate dollar-weakening strategy, but concerns persist as trade discussions with South Korea suggest room for stronger local currencies. This uncertainty has contributed to...
The EUR/USD pair traded near the 1.1200 zone on Wednesday after the European session, reflecting a cautiously bullish tone as the market approaches the Asian session. Price action remains within the middle of its daily range, indicating balanced sentiment despite a mixed technical backdrop. While shorter-term momentum indicators signal caution, the broader trend remains supported by longer-term averages, providing a foundation for further upside if recent gains hold. From a technical standpoint, the pair presents a complex picture. The Relative Strength Index hovers around 40, reflecting...
Oil prices edged lower on Wednesday after government data showed U.S. crude oil stockpiles rose unexpectedly last week, prompting investor concerns of excess supplies. Brent crude futures fell 40 cents, or around 0.6%, to $66.23 a barrel by 12:04 p.m. EDT (1604 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude slipped 33 cents, or 0.52%, to $63.34. Both benchmarks, which traded close to their highest in two-weeks in the previous session, fell after data from the Energy Information Administration showed crude stockpiles rose by 3.5 million barrels to 441.8 million barrels last week. Analysts in a...