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 jumped on Monday to their highest since January as Washington's weekend move to join Israel in striking Iran's nuclear facilities stoked supply concerns. Brent crude futures were up $1.88, or 2.44%, at $78.89 a barrel by 1122 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was up $1.87, or 2.53%, at $75.71. Both contracts jumped more than 3% earlier in the session to $81.40 and $78.40, respectively, their highest in five months, before giving up some of the gains. The price surge came after U.S. President Donald Trump said he had "destroyed" Iran's main nuclear site in an attack over...
The dollar gained in early trading as investors sought to hedge against rising geopolitical risks following the U.S. attack on Iran. The U.S. currency gained slightly against the euro and most other major currencies as markets began the week in Asia. Crude oil futures rose and U.S. equity contracts fell as the bombings stoked demand for security and concerns about energy supplies. Government bonds edged higher. "We expect some risk relief, but not aggressively," said Diego Fernandez, chief investment officer at A&G Banco in Madrid. "The world may be a safer place without the Iranian...
Gold edges higher in the early Asian session amid worries over the Middle East conflict. "Recent escalation between the U.S. and Iran, marked by airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites, has introduced a new layer of uncertainty into global markets," DHF Capital's Bas Kooijman says. "The fear of a broader regional conflict in the Middle East has driven a surge in demand for gold as investors seek to mitigate risk," the CEO and asset manager adds. Spot gold is 0.2% higher at $3,373.57/oz. (alg) Source: Dow Jones Newswires
Oil prices fell on Friday, but remained on course for a third consecutive weekly rise, after the White House delayed a decision on U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict. Brent crude futures fell $1.89, or 2.4%, to $76.96 a barrel by 1000 GMT. They were still set to gain nearly 4% on the week. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude for July - which did not settle on Thursday as it was a U.S. holiday and expires on Friday - was up 82 cents, or 1.1% to $75.96. The more liquid August contract was up around 0.4%, or 27 cents, to $73.77. On Thursday prices jumped almost 3% after Israel...
The EUR/USD pair is trading higher for the third consecutive day on Friday and has returned above the 1.1500 level, trading at 1.1520 at the moment of writing. US President Donald Trump's comments saying that he needs two weeks to decide on entering the Middle East conflict have eased investors' fears of an imminent attack and provided some support to the Euro. The pair, however, remains on track to a moderate weekly loss, as investors' concerns that the war between Iran and Israel might turn into a wider regional conflict have kept risk appetite subdued, boosting demand for the US Dollar...