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 Pound Sterling (GBP) trades lower against its major peers on Tuesday. The British currency remains on the back foot due to the overhang of mounting fiscal risks in the United Kingdom (UK) following the presentation of a higher welfare spending bill by the Labour government before the House of Commons last week. The welfare bill announced showed an increase in the standard allowance for Universal Credit (UC), which is expected to raise the debt financial burden by £4.8 billion by fiscal year 2029-2030.. This led to investors dumping UK gilts as the bill raised financial...
Oil slipped as traders weighed the impact of President Donald Trump's latest wave of tariff threats and fresh attacks on Red Sea shipping. Brent traded near $69 a barrel, after jumping almost 2% on Monday. The US unveiled a slew of letters warning key trading partners of high tariff rates. Meanwhile, another ship in the Red Sea was under attack. "Traders are watching Trump's new tariff threats and global growth risks, which could soften demand," said Haris Khurshid, chief investment officer at Karobaar Capital LP. "Looking ahead, we should be paying attention to...
The dollar fell versus most major peers as investors mulled how the latest tariffs would affect the US economy and those of its trading partners. The Australian dollar led gains following the RBA's policy decision. The Bloomberg Dollar Index drops as much as 0.3%, snapping Monday's 0.5% advance as traders gameplanned what rates from 25% to 40% on goods from Japan to Malaysia would do to regional trade and growth. Trump has imposed 25% on goods from Japan and South Korea, beginning Aug. 1. AUD/USD rallies as much as 1% to 0.6558 after Australia's central bank surprised investors and...
The EUR/USD pair is trimming some of Monday's losses on Tuesday, although it maintains the bearish trend from last week's highs intact. Investors are keeping a cautious mood as US President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on a batch of countries, bringing global trade concerns back to the forefront. The Euro (EUR) bounced up from nearly two-week lows at 1.1690 during Tuesday's Asian session, and is trading at 1.1740 at the time of writing, with upside attempts capped below a previous support area at 1.1750 so far. The Eurozone was not among the recipients of Trump's tariff letters and...
Silver prices held firm around $36.80 per ounce on Tuesday, hovering near 13-year highs as markets assessed the latest US trade policy moves. President Donald Trump announced updated tariff rates on 14 countries that have not reached trade agreements with Washington, including major exporters such as Japan and South Korea, both of which will face 25% levies. Trump also signed an executive order extending the reciprocal tariff deadline to August 1 from July 9, providing additional time for negotiations. He further warned of a potential 10% tariff on countries aligning with what he called...