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 weakened during the North American session, down more than 0.23%, as market participants digested the US jobs report that strengthened the Federal Reserve's case for maintaining interest rates at its upcoming July meeting. At the time of writing, the pair was trading at 1.1695 after peaking at 1.1749. Wall Street ended Thursday's session with gains as traders assessed the current US labor market situation. Initial Jobless Claims for the past week were below estimates and the previous reading, signaling strength. However, Continuing Claims rose to their highest level since 2022. On...
Oil prices plunged more than 2% on Thursday (July 10th), as investors weighed the potential impact of US President Donald Trump's tariffs on global economic growth. Brent crude futures closed at $68.64 per barrel, down $1.55, or 2.21%. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures closed at $66.57 per barrel, down $1.81, or 2.65%. On Wednesday, Trump threatened Brazil, Latin America's largest economy, with punitive 50% tariffs on exports to the US, pressuring his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, over the trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil on charges of plotting...
Gold prices were little changed on Thursday (July 10) as a stronger U.S. dollar offset the impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's latest tariffs, prompting buying by investors seeking protection from geopolitical risks. Spot gold rose 0.1% to $3,317.44 an ounce at 1:50 PM ET (17:50 GMT). U.S. gold futures closed 0.1% higher at $3,325.7. The U.S. dollar index rose 0.2%. Gold tends to lose traction when the U.S. dollar strengthens, as it becomes more expensive for investors holding other currencies. "Unless there's a major geopolitical escalation, I don't see gold breaking above $3,400. In...
Gold prices were little changed on Thursday (July 10) as a stronger U.S. dollar offset the impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's latest tariffs, prompting buying by investors seeking protection from geopolitical risks. Spot gold prices rose 0.2% to $3,318.56 an ounce at 11:03 a.m. ET (1603 GMT). U.S. gold futures rose 0.2% to $3,328.30. The U.S. dollar index rose 0.2%. Gold tends to lose traction when the U.S. dollar strengthens, as it becomes more expensive for investors holding other currencies. "Unless there's a major geopolitical escalation, I don't see gold breaking above $3,400. In...
The US dollar (USD) held its ground on Thursday (July 10th) after a weak start to the day, as investors digested new tariff threats from US President Donald Trump. The US Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the greenback against a basket of six major currencies, strengthened slightly during American trading hours following stronger-than-expected weekly jobs data. At the time of writing, the index was hovering around 97.75, a level last seen on June 25th, marking a new weekly high after rebounding from a daily low of 97.27. The greenback weakened during Asian trading hours and retraced some...