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 GBP/USD climbs solidly during the North American session, up by 0.37% ahead of the Bank of England's (BoE) meeting and as traders digest the recent Nonfarm Payroll figures, and over the weekend developments, that opened a spot for US President Trump to nominate a Fed Governor. At the time of writing, the pair trades at 1.3342.The Bank of England is expected to reduce rates by 25 basis points, to 4%, according to money market futures data. The decision is expected not to be unanimous, with banks like Morgan Stanley expected to hold, Catherine Mann, a 50 basis points cut, Swati Dhingra,...
Oil prices rose early on Wednesday, for the first time in five sessions, as a report showed a larger than expected drop in U.S. inventories amid strong summer demand. West Texas Intermediate crude oil for September delivery was last seen up US$0.95 to US$66.11 per barrel, while October Brent oil was up US$0.92 to US$68.56. In its weekly survey, the American Petroleum Institute reported U.S. oil inventories fell by 4.2-million barrels last week, while the consensus analyst estimate expected a drop of 1.8-million barrels, according to Oilprice.com. The Energy Information Administration will...
The US Dollar is trading lower on Wednesday, weighed by a combination of renewed stagflation concerns following weak US macroeconomic data and investors' caution, awaiting Trump's nominee for the Fed Chair. The US President narrowed down the number of candidates to four after the rejection of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The best positioned are the National Economic Council Director, Kevin Hassett, and former Governor Kevin Warsh, both proponents of an easier monetary policy. Governour Crhistopher Waller and David Malpass, a former Trump administration official and ex-president of the...
Gold prices eased on Wednesday as U.S. Treasury yields inched higher, while investors remained cautious ahead of President Donald Trump's Federal Reserve appointments. Spot gold was down 0.5% at $3,362.54 per ounce by 1047 GMT, after hitting a nearly two-week high on Tuesday. U.S. gold futures also fell by 0.5% to $3,417.30. Yields on benchmark 10-year Treasuries rose after four straight days of declines, reducing the appeal of non-yielding bullion. "Investors will be keeping a close eye on developments regarding White House appointments to the Federal Reserve and any trade-related news,...
The EUR/USD pair is consolidating gains near weekly highs as the US Dollar languishes, following an unexpectedly weak services sector report that cast further doubts on the momentum of the United States (US) economy. Renewed concerns about stagflation keep the US Dollar pinned near lows, while in Europe, retail consumption figures have failed to provide significant support to the Euro. The Euro (EUR) is trading at 1.1580 in the early European session on Wednesday, after bouncing from 1.1530 lows on Tuesday. The pair holds most of the gains taken on Friday after the release of a grim US...