The three major US stock averages fluctuated between small gains and losses on Wednesday, attempting to rebound from Tuesday's weak session, when concerns over lofty AI valuations weighed on sentiment while earnings remained in focus. The tech sector stayed under pressure, while materials and energy outperformed. AMD slipped 1.7% after issuing a revenue forecast that failed to impress investors, and Super Micro Computer tumbled 7.3% following a weaker-than-expected earnings outlook for the current period. Palantir Technologies extended losses, falling 2.3%. Nvidia edged down 0.2%, while...
The Japanese yen slipped to around 149 per dollar on Friday, snapping a two-day advance as investors reacted to the latest inflation figures. Japan's core inflation rate slowed to 3% in February from 3.2% in January but still exceeded forecasts of 2.9%. This marked the second consecutive month that inflation surpassed expectations, highlighting persistent price pressures and reinforcing the case for further interest rate hikes. Earlier this week, the Bank of Japan kept its policy rate steady at 0.5%, as widely anticipated. Policymakers maintained a cautious stance, opting to assess the...
The US dollar index held its recent advance to around 103.8 on Friday as investors continued to assess the Federal Reserve's monetary policy stance. On Wednesday, the Fed kept policy unchanged but signaled two interest rate cuts this year. The central bank also highlighted rising risks to growth, employment, and inflation in its latest economic projections. Meanwhile, Fed Chair Jerome Powell downplayed concerns over the inflationary impact of President Donald Trump's tariffs, calling them "transitory," but reiterated that the central bank is in no rush to cut rates further. Traders are...
Oil extended gains after the US sanctioned a Chinese refinery for the first time in a marked step-up of measures to curb oil flows from Iran. West Texas Intermediate rose toward $69 a barrel after advancing on Thursday, with Brent crude closing at $72. The US penalized a Chinese oil refinery — Shandong Shouguang Luqing Petrochemical Co. — and its chief executive officer for allegedly buying Iranian oil, the Trump administration's first intervention in the Asian nation's refining system. Crude is on track for its biggest one-week gain since mid-January, after US data...
Gold price retreats on Thursday as bulls take a breather following the Federal Reserve's (Fed) latest monetary policy decision and an escalation of hostilities in the Middle East. The XAU/USD trades at $3,042, down over 0.19% Market sentiment turned negative, while the Greenback stages a recovery as depicted by the US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks a basket of six currencies against the buck. Gold traders failed to drive prices higher, even though the Fed held rates unchanged at the 4.25%–4.50% range for the second consecutive meeting. Officials added that they will slow down the pace of...
The USD/CHF pair attracts some sellers to near 0.8760 during the Asian trading hours on Thursday. The Greenback edges lower after the Federal Reserve (Fed) indicated interest rate cuts were likely later this year despite the high degree of uncertainty around US tariff policies. Later on Thursday, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) interest rate decision will be in the spotlight. On Wednesday, the Fed kept interest rates unchanged in a range of 4.25% to 4.5% at its March meeting, as widely expected. The US central bank signaled it will cut rates two more times this year, in line with its previous...