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...
Gold prices fell on Thursday as investors took profits after bullion hit a record high earlier in the session as curbs on chip sales to China and ongoing tariff uncertainty boosted demand for safe-haven assets. Spot gold fell 0.1% to $3,339.37 an ounce by 0312 GMT, after hitting a record high of $3,357.40 earlier in the session. Bullion has gained more than 3% this week. U.S. gold futures rose 0.2% to $3,351.50. "Everything is going in gold's favor, pushing prices to new record highs. Although the decline is justified, the precious metal is poised for further gains as the trade turmoil...
GBP/USD ended its seven-day winning streak, weakening to around 1.3230 during the Asian session on Thursday (4/17) after falling from a six-month high of 1.3292 reached on Wednesday. Traders now await the release of key US data later in the day, including Building Permits, Housing Starts, Philly Fed Manufacturing Index, and weekly Initial Jobless Claims. The US Dollar Index (DXY) is trading higher near 99.60 at the time of writing, supported by stronger-than-expected consumer spending in March. US Retail Sales rose 1.4% in March, beating February's 0.2% increase and the 1.3% forecast. The...
The Japanese Yen (JPY) eased after hitting a fresh multi-month high against its US counterpart during the Asian session on Thursday (4/17), although a meaningful decline seems elusive. A slight improvement in the global risk sentiment – as depicted by a generally positive tone around equity markets – was seen undermining the safe-haven JPY. This, along with a modest uptick in the US Dollar (USD) from near multi-year lows contributed to the USD/JPY pair's intraday recovery of over 100 pips from the 141.60 region. However, uncertainty surrounding US President Donald Trump's tariff...
The Australian Dollar (AUD) traded lower against the US Dollar (USD), ending a six-day winning streak. The AUD/USD pair remained pressured after the release of Australian jobs data on Thursday (4/17), which showed the Unemployment Rate rose to 4.1% in March, slightly below market estimates of 4.2%. Meanwhile, the Employment Change came in at 32.2K, compared to consensus estimates of 40K. The AUD gained support from improved global risk sentiment after US President Donald Trump announced exemptions for key technology products from newly proposed "reciprocal" tariffs. The exemptions, which...
Silver (XAG/USD) traded around $32.30 per troy ounce during the Asian session on Thursday (4/17), paring some of its gains from the previous day. The precious metal came under pressure as global risk sentiment improved following US President Donald Trump's announcement of exemptions for key technology products from newly proposed "reciprocal" tariffs. The exemptions, which cover smartphones, computers, semiconductors, solar cells, and flat-panel displays, primarily benefit goods manufactured in China. However, Silver's downside remained limited as Trump simultaneously launched an...