The Nikkei 225 Index climbed 0.5% to above 42,800, while the broader Topix Index advanced 0.75% to 3,080 on Friday, rebounding from the prior session's losses as stronger-than-expected GDP data lifted sentiment. Japan's economy expanded 0.3% in the second quarter, accelerating from a 0.1% growth in Q1 which was also the consensus forecast. The upside surprise driven mainly by net exports, which added 0.3 percentage points to growth despite headwinds from US tariffs. Globally, a hotter-than-expected US producer price inflation reading tempered bets on a supersized half-point Federal Reserve...
The euro held steady around $1.13, slightly below the nearly three-year high reached in April, continuing to benefit from broad dollar weakness. Traders remained focused on the ongoing trade war, particularly negotiations between the US and several Asian countries, while talks with China appeared to have stalled. Meanwhile, Friedrich Merz faced an unexpected setback after failing to secure election as German Chancellor in the first round of parliamentary voting. Although the next steps remain uncertain, it potentially delayed Merz's swearing-in. His CDU-led coalition with the centre-left...
Oil rose from its lowest close in four years after a technical gauge suggested the recent crude decline may have been overdone. Brent rose to trade near $61 a barrel after falling nearly 10% over the past six sessions, and West Texas Intermediate rose to around $58. Both benchmarks recently fell into oversold territory on the nine-day relative strength index and breached the lower Bollinger Bands, both pointing to a market that has fallen too fast. China's markets are also reopening after a holiday. There are also signs that lower oil prices are starting to impact supplies outside the...
Gold prices extended sharp gains in Asian trade on Tuesday (06/05) as safe-haven demand for bullion revived after the announcement of new US tariffs, while investors remained cautious ahead of the Federal Reserve's policy meeting starting later in the day. At 02:16 ET (06:16 GMT), spot gold was up 1% at $3,366.95 an ounce, while gold futures expiring in June jumped 1.5% to $3,373.75 an ounce. The yellow metal surged nearly 3% on Monday, erasing most of its losses recorded last week. Gold prices hit a record high last month, just above $3,500 an ounce. Gold rises on new Trump tariffs; Fed...
The dollar struggled to make headway on Tuesday as an unprecedented two-day surge in its Taiwanese counterpart spilled over to other regional peers and highlighted the fragility of the U.S. currency. The past two-day sharp moves in the Taiwan dollar subsided during the session, but Hong Kong's de-facto central bank intervened to stop the local currency from strengthening and China's yuan jumped in its return from an extended break. Investors were also awaiting actual progress in trade negotiations with the United States and evidence of a thaw in Sino-U.S. relations, as opposed to just...
The Japanese Yen (JPY) reversed its Asian session losses against its US counterpart and attempted to build on gains recorded over the past two days. Uncertainties over US President Donald Trump's trade policies and rising geopolitical tensions kept investors cautious, which in turn, was seen lending support to the safe-haven JPY. Further, bets that the Bank of Japan (BOJ) will raise interest rates further in 2025, despite its dovish pause last week, turned out to be another factor supporting the JPY. However, optimism over a potential de-escalation in the US-China trade war and easing fears...