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...
EUR/USD halts its three-day losing streak, trading around 1.1700 during the Asian hours on Monday. The pair gains ground as the US Dollar (USD) loses ground due to escalating global trade tensions. On Saturday, US President Donald Trump announced a 30% tariff on imports from the European Union (EU) and Mexico starting August 1. He also proposed a blanket tariff rate of 15%-20% on other trading partners, an increase from the current 10% baseline rate. In response, the European Union announced on Sunday that it will extend its pause on retaliatory measures against US tariffs until early...
The GBP/USD pair enters a bearish consolidation phase during the Asian session and oscillates in a narrow band around the 1.3500 psychological mark, just a few pips above a three-week low touched on Friday. Moreover, the fundamental backdrop suggests that the path of least resistance for spot prices remains to the downside. A modest US Dollar (USD) pullback from its highest level since June 25 turns out to be a key factor lending some support to the GBP/USD pair. However, diminishing odds for a near-term reduction in borrowing costs by the Federal Reserve (Fed), amid concerns that US...
Oil steadied after President Donald Trump escalated the trade war, with threats of 30% tariffs on goods from the European Union and Mexico hurting appetite for risk and the outlook for energy demand. Global benchmark Brent was little changed above $70 a barrel, after gaining 3% last week, while West Texas Intermediate was above $68. US equity-index futures dropped after the latest tariff threats, which followed US trade measures against nations from Canada to Brazil and Algeria last week. At the same time, investors were on alert for a "major statement" promised from Trump on Russia later...
Gold gained, bolstered by haven demand as traders weighed fresh tariff threats from President Donald Trump after he declared a 30% rate for the European Union and Mexico effective next month. Bullion traded near $3,370 an ounce, following a 0.6% increase last week. US trading partners continued to navigate the final weeks of negotiations as Trump's patience with talks appeared to wear thin before his Aug. 1 deadline. The president on Saturday gave trade ultimatums to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the latest in a string of...
Oil prices rose more than 2% on Friday (July 11) as the International Energy Agency (IEA) stated that the market is tighter than it appears, while US tariffs and the possibility of further sanctions against Russia were also in focus. Brent crude futures closed up $1.72, or 2.5%, at $70.36 per barrel. US West Texas Intermediate crude rose $1.88, or 2.8%, to $68.45 per barrel. For the week, Brent rose 3%, while WTI recorded a weekly gain of about 2.2%. The IEA stated that the global oil market may be tighter than it appears, with demand supported by peak refinery production in the summer to...