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...
Oil prices edged lower on Monday, as investors weighed new threats from U.S. President Donald Trump for sanctions on buyers of Russian oil that may affect global supplies, while still worried about Trump's tariffs. Brent crude futures fell 79 cents, or 1.12%, to $69.57 a barrel by 1:04 pm EDT (1704 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down $1.07, also 1.56%, to $67.38. Trump announced new weapons for Ukraine and threatened to hit buyers of Russian exports with sanctions unless Russia agrees to a peace deal in 50 days. Oil prices rallied early, on expectations that...
Gold (XAU/USD) is trading between $3,340 and $3,370 on Monday in response to news that the US may impose a 30% tariff on imports from the European Union (EU) and Mexico, effective August 1. The latest tariff threats on two of America's largest trading partners have provided a tailwind for XAU/USD. At the time of writing, the Gold price is trading near $3,350 as bulls struggle to gain the momentum above $3,370. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum received letters from US President Donald Trump on Saturday. His remarks fueled fears of a...
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the strength of the US Dollar (USD) against a basket of major currencies, remains under pressure at the start of the week, trading below the 98.00 level on Monday. Fresh geopolitical risks have emerged after US President Donald Trump's announcement of tariff threats against the European Union (EU) and Mexico over the weekend. At the same time, reports that President Trump is pressuring Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell to resign have reignited concerns about the central bank's independence, a factor that may influence investor confidence...
The US dollar (USD) started the week with a positive bias, maintaining last week's gains as traders responded to the resurgence of trade tensions. However, the greenback traded slightly lower today as investors remained cautious. Late last week, US President Donald Trump again attracted attention by adding the European Union (EU) and Mexico to his growing list of tariff targets. The US Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the greenback against a basket of six major currencies, held near a two-week high. At the time of writing, the index was consolidating just below the 98.00 level, trading...
Gold rose to a three-week high on Monday, boosted by safe-haven demand after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on the European Union and Mexico, while silver hit a nearly 14-year high. Spot gold rose 0.4% to $3,369.89 an ounce, as of 11:23 GMT, after hitting its highest level since June 23 earlier in the session. U.S. gold futures rose 0.5% to $3,381.10. Trump said on Saturday that he would impose 30% tariffs on most imports from the European Union and Mexico starting August 1, adding similar warnings to other countries. The European Union and Mexico described the tariffs as...