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 inched up on Wednesday, with the U.S. barring Chevron (CVX.N), opens new tab from exporting crude from Venezuela and production shut-ins from Canada, while markets eyed an expected production increase from OPEC+. Brent crude futures rose 54 cents, or 0.8%, to $64.63 a barrel by 1050 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained 64 cents, or 0.9%, to stand at $61.45 a barrel. The Trump administration has issued a new authorisation for U.S.-major Chevron (CVX.N), opens new tab that would let it keep assets in Venezuela but not export oil or expand activities, Reuters...
Gold firmed on Wednesday as investors bought the dip after prices declined in the previous session, while markets awaited minutes of the Federal Reserve's latest policy meeting and economic data for insights on the U.S. interest rate outlook. Spot gold was up 0.6% to $3,319.61 an ounce, as of 1029 GMT. Bullion fell below the $3,300 level and hit a low of $3,285.19 in the previous session. U.S. gold futures rose 0.6% to $3,318.60. "Gold is rebounding mainly due to bargain hunting after a sharp drop in the previous session," said Jigar Trivedi, senior commodity analyst at Reliance...
The Pound Sterling (GBP) recoups initial losses against the US Dollar (USD) during European trading hours on Wednesday after correcting to near 1.3460 earlier in the day. The GBP/USD pair bounces back as the US Dollar (USD) gives up initial gains despite firm hopes that the United States (US) and the European Union (EU) will reach a trade deal soon. The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback's value against six major currencies, falls back to near 99.50 from the intraday high of 99.85. On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump expressed confidence in a post on Truth.Social that the...
Oil prices inched up on Wednesday as investors considered supply risks after the U.S. barred Chevron (NYSE:CVX) from exporting crude from Venezuela under a new asset authorisation, though expectations of more output from OPEC+ continued to limit gains. Brent crude futures rose 7 cents, or 0.1%, to $64.16 a barrel by 0640 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained 9 cents, or 0.2%, at $60.98 a barrel. The Trump administration has issued a new authorisation for U.S.-major Chevron that would allow it to keep assets in Venezuela but not to export oil or expand its activities, Reuters...
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the value of the US Dollar (USD) against six major currencies, is steadying after registering more than 0.50% gains in the previous session. The DXY is trading around 99.60 during the European hours on Wednesday. Traders await the FOMC Minutes due later in the North American session. The US Dollar is gaining support amid growing optimism among US consumers following the Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index rising to 98.0 in May from the previous 86.0 reading. Additionally, the emergence of bond market optimism is supporting the Greenback,...