Japanese stocks are higher thanks to a weaker yen and hopes for domestic earnings growth. Tech and energy stocks are leading gains. NEC is up 2.7% and Inpex is 2.3% higher. Meanwhile, Honda Motor is down 3.8% after it cuts its fiscal-year earnings forecasts. USD/JPY is at 153.90, up from 153.47 as of Friday's Tokyo stock market close. Investors are closely watching quarterly corporate results. Sumitomo Metal Mining and automaker Subaru Corp. are set to announce their earnings later in the day. The Nikkei Stock Average is up 0.9% at 50725.80. Source: Bloomberg
The dollar held ground in choppy trading on Monday, as investors monitored the fighting between Israel and Iran for signs that it could escalate into a broader regional conflict and braced for a week packed with central bank meetings. As both Iran and Israel showed no signs of backing off from their attacks, market participants mulled the prospect that Tehran might seek to choke off the Strait of Hormuz - the world's most important gateway for oil shipping. This could raise broader economic risks from disruptions in the energy-rich Middle East. The dollar, which until recently had always...
Oil prices edged down on Monday, paring back Friday's 7% surge, as renewed military strikes by Israel and Iran over the weekend left oil production and export facilities unaffected. Brent futures were down 96 cents, or 1.3%, to $73.27 a barrel by 1157 GMT, while U.S. WTI futures were off $1.05 or 1.4%, to $71.93. Both benchmarks jumped more than $4 a barrel in Asian trading before giving back gains. They settled 7% higher on Friday, having surged more than 13% during the session to their highest levels since January. "It all boils down to how the conflict escalates around energy flows,"...
Silver prices (XAG/USD) remain close to the multi-year highs near $37.00 hit last week, despite a moderate decline in demand for safe-haven assets, like precious metals, as fears that the Israel-Iran war might turn into a regional conflict have eased. Israel and Iran have kept exchanging missile attacks over the weekend in a war that entered its fourth day, but the conflict did not extend to other countries in the area, at least for now. Apart from that, several countries have offered their efforts to mediate between the contenders, and US President Dolanld Trump is pushing them to sit and...
Gold fell on Monday as investors weighed the impact of the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict, while also focusing on the Group of Seven leaders meeting and the Federal Reserve policy decision later this week. Spot gold fell 0.5% to $3,415.36 an ounce, as of 0854 GMT, after hitting its highest level since April 22 earlier in the session. U.S. gold futures were down 0.5% to $3,434.50. "Geopolitical tensions are not disappearing near term, as well rates are likely to be cut further by the central bank, so that should provide a floor to gold," said Giovanni Staunovo, an analyst at UBS. Iranian...
The dollar index pared early gains to trade around 98 on Monday, hovering near its lowest levels since 2022, as traders dialed back some risk-off positioning while closely watching developments in the Israel-Iran conflict. The two nations continued to exchange attacks for a fourth consecutive day, defying international calls for de-escalation. Investors are also looking to the G7 summit for potential responses to global flashpoints, including the crises in the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as ongoing trade tensions. Meanwhile, attention is turning to a busy week of monetary policy...