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...
Gold prices fell on Friday as the dollar strengthened and markets digested the latest tariff developments, while a softer inflation report kept hopes of a U.S. interest rate cut alive. Spot gold fell 0.7%, to $3,293.59 an ounce, by 2:26 p.m. ET (1826 GMT) and is down 1.9% so far this week. U.S. gold futures settled 0.9% lower at $3,315.40. The dollar index rose 0.1%, making gold more expensive for holders of other currencies. A federal appeals court temporarily reinstated President Donald Trump's most sweeping tariffs on Thursday, a day after a U.S. trade court ruled that Trump had...
Gold fell and the dollar strengthened as traders assessed U.S. data on consumer spending, import flows and fresh trade tensions between the U.S. and China. Consumers stepped back in April while imports plunged sharply as companies adjusted to higher tariffs. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve's preferred price gauge remained tame, reinforcing bets that the U.S. central bank won't need to lower borrowing costs until later this year. That scenario would be negative for bullion as it typically benefits from lower interest rates. On the trade front, U.S. President Donald Trump said China was not...
The dollar strengthened amid uncertainty over U.S. tariffs and after mixed economic data. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose 0.1%, paring an earlier 0.3% gain from a weaker-than-expected Chicago PMI; fell 0.6% in May and is set for the longest monthly decline since August 2020 U.S. personal income data beats forecasts, but personal spending falls in April; Consumer sentiment rebounds in May US Consumers Hit Brakes as Goods Imports Fall Sharply US Consumer Sentiment Improves in Latest Michigan Survey in May Proposed tax measures in the US tax and spending bill that could raise tax...
Oil prices fell on Friday and headed for a second straight weekly decline, as investors weighed the potential for a bigger OPEC+ output hike in July and uncertainty spread over U.S. tariff policy after the latest changes on the floor. Brent crude futures were down 21 cents, or 0.33%, at $63.94 a barrel by 1451 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down 34 cents, or 0.56%, at $60.60 a barrel. Brent futures for July expire on Friday. The more liquid August contract was trading 43 cents lower, or 0.71%, at $59.77 a barrel. At that level, the benchmark front-month contract was...
Gold price (XAU/USD) recovers some of its initial losses and rebounds to near $3,305 during Nortyh American trading hours on Friday. Still, the precious metal is down almost 0.4%. The yellow metal bounces back as trade tensions between the United States (US) and China have renewed after President Donald Trump signaled in a post on Truth.Social that Beijing has violated trade agreement. "The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US," Trump wrote. Renewed trade tensions between the world's largest economies have increased demand of...