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...
Silver prices (XAG/USD) strengthened slightly to around $37.90 in Asian trading on Tuesday (August 12th), driven by expectations that the US Federal Reserve will cut interest rates at its upcoming September meeting. This optimism arose after US employment data for July showed weakness, reinforcing the view that the central bank would shift to a more accommodative monetary policy. Dovish statements from Fed officials also weakened the US dollar, thus supporting the strengthening of dollar-denominated commodities like silver. Lower interest rates reduce the opportunity cost of holding...
Oil prices were little changed as investors weighed President Donald Trump's delay of high US tariffs on China against the likely outcome of his meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin. Brent crude traded near $67 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate was around $64. Prices remained near two-month lows after a sluggish trading session on Monday and low volumes at the start of the Asian session. Trump signed an order extending a ceasefire with China until November 10, delaying a scheduled tariff increase on Tuesday. Traders were looking ahead to a meeting between Trump and Putin later this...
The Australian Dollar (AUD) held its ground against the US Dollar (USD) on Tuesday ahead of the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) interest rate decision. The AUD/USD pair is likely to strengthen as US President Donald Trump has extended the China tariff deadline for another 90 days. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is expected to announce a 25 basis point (bps) interest rate cut to 3.6% from 3.85% at its August monetary policy meeting. Traders will likely be watching the Monetary Policy Statement, followed by a press conference by RBA Governor Michele Bullock. The Trump administration...
Gold strengthened in early Asian trading amid a possible technical recovery after its sharpest drop in three months on Monday. The rise came after a post on US President Trump's Truth Social account clarified that the precious metal would not be subject to tariffs. Last Friday, gold surged to an all-time high following reports that bullion might be subject to tariffs. Meanwhile, traders are likely to closely monitor the US July CPI data due later today for clues on the Fed's interest rate direction. Spot gold prices rose 0.2% to $3,347.81/oz. Source: Dow Jones Newswires
Oil was little changed after President Donald Trump extended a pause of sky-high tariffs on China, stabilizing trade ties between the world's two biggest economies. West Texas Intermediate traded near $64 a barrel, near the lowest in two months, while Brent closed above $66 in a subdued session on Monday. Trump signed an order extending the truce with China by 90 days, according to a person familiar with the matter. Oil is down more than 10% this year as traders grapple with a surplus in the market after OPEC+ reversed a supply cutback made in 2023, despite signs of slowing...