Hong Kong stocks fell 197 points, or 0.8%, to 26,282 in Friday's morning session, retreating after their biggest one-day gain since mid-August amid caution ahead of China's October trade data. Exports are expected to slow sharply after months of front-loading to avoid U.S. tariffs, while imports likely stay weak amid fragile consumer sentiment. Attention also turned to October Chinese CPI and PPI data due over the weekend, with deflation risks still a concern. On Wall Street, stocks declined overnight as renewed tech weakness and worries over the prolonged U.S. government shutdown hit...
Oil prices extended gains on Thursday on the prospect of tighter supplies after Washington imposed further sanctions to curb Iran's oil trade and as some OPEC producers pledged more output cuts to offset pumping above agreed quotas. Brent crude futures rose 56 cents, or 0.85%, to $66.41 a barrel by 0625 GMT, and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $63.12 a barrel, up 65 cents, or 1.04%. Both benchmarks closed 2% higher on Wednesday at their highest since April 3 and were on track for their first weekly gain in three weeks. Thursday is the last settlement day of the week ahead of the...
Gold (XAU/USD) prices attracted some intraday sellers following an Asian session rally to a fresh all-time high as positive risk sentiment was seen denting demand for traditional safe-haven assets. Further, a modest US Dollar (USD) uptick from near multi-year lows turned out to be another factor that undermined the commodity. However, a meaningful corrective slide for the precious metal seems elusive amid ongoing uncertainty surrounding US President Donald Trump's tariff announcement, escalating US-China trade war, and fears of a global recession. Meanwhile, the market is still pricing in...
The dollar rose from a seven-month low against the yen on Thursday as U.S.-Japan trade talks avoided a foreign exchange scare, while it gained slightly against other currencies ahead of the long Easter holiday. The dollar has been battered this month as the U.S. threatened, imposed and then delayed massive tariffs, denting confidence in U.S. economic growth and stability. The Swiss franc's nearly 8% gain since April 2 is the biggest among G10 currencies and at 0.8167 per dollar, it is close to testing resistance at a decade-high of 0.81. The euro and yen are not far behind with gains of...
The USD/CHF pair attempted to recover from recent losses recorded in the previous session, trading around 0.8160 during the Asian trading hours on Thursday (4/17). However, the pair remained close to the 0.8099 mark—its lowest level since September 2011, touched on April 11. The US dollar (USD) continued to face headwinds as investor uncertainty persisted over the unpredictable nature of US trade and economic policies. In contrast, the Swiss franc (CHF) was supported by safe-haven inflows, further pressuring the USD/CHF pair. Tensions escalated after US President Donald Trump launched an...
Oil prices extended gains on Thursday on the prospect of tighter supplies after Washington imposed more sanctions to curb Iran's oil trade and as some OPEC producers pledged more output cuts to offset pumping above agreed quotas. Brent crude futures rose 55 cents, or 0.8%, to $66.40 a barrel by 0321 GMT, and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were at $63.13 a barrel, up 66 cents, or 1.1%. Both benchmarks closed 2% higher on Wednesday at their highest since April 3 and were on track for their first weekly gain in three weeks. Thursday is the last settlement day in the week ahead of...