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 fell on Tuesday (December 16), adding to the previous session's losses, as prospects for a Russia-Ukraine peace deal appeared to strengthen, raising expectations of potential sanctions relief. Brent crude futures fell 89 cents, or about 1.5%, to $59.67 per barrel at 0942 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude traded at $55.90 per barrel, down 92 cents, or 1.6%. Both contracts are near their lowest levels since May of this year. "Brent has fallen this morning to below $60 per barrel for the first time in months, as the market assesses the potential for a peace deal that...
The US Dollar Index (DXY) moved in negative territory and fell slightly to around 98.25 at the start of the European session on Tuesday. This weakening occurred as market participants adopted a wait-and-see approach ahead of the release of a series of US economic data, particularly the delayed November jobs report. The market's primary focus is on today's release of the October and November Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP). If the data shows a slowing labor market, expectations of a Fed interest rate cut could strengthen, which would typically weaken the dollar. Conversely, if the results are...
The USD/CHF currency pair fell on December 16, 2025, amid continued US dollar weakness in global markets. The dollar briefly approached a two-month low as investors awaited key economic data from the US, including the pending employment report, as well as more dovish or moderate policy signals from the Federal Reserve. This pressure on the dollar strengthened the Swiss franc relative to the USD, causing USD/CHF to fall below the psychological level of around 0.80. Furthermore, the Swiss National Bank's (SNB) decision to maintain interest rates at 0% without major changes also supported the...
The US dollar weakened early in the Asian session on Tuesday, falling to a near two-month low as markets awaited the release of a slew of economic data—particularly the delayed US November jobs report. The dollar index fell 0.2% to 98.261, near its lowest level since October 17, while October-November jobs data was only recently released after being delayed during the US government shutdown. HSBC analysts said this data is crucial for "closing the story" about labor conditions during the shutdown. The market is also still assessing the direction of the Fed's interest rate: Fed funds...
Silver prices remained high on December 16, 2025, despite a slight correction in global markets after last week's significant surge. Spot silver fell by around 2-3% from its record high above US$64 per ounce due to profit-taking, but overall, the metal remained near its all-time high. This decline occurred amidst a weakening US dollar, which had previously boosted precious metal prices, and volatile trading conditions. Fundamentally, silver continues to be driven by a structural imbalance between demand and supply. Global industrial demand—particularly for clean technologies like solar...