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...
The USD/JPY pair rose again to around 155.85 at the start of Wednesday's Asian session, after declining for three consecutive days. The slight strengthening of the US dollar occurred as markets awaited the release of important economic data from the United States. However, the USD's gains still appeared limited due to volatile risk sentiment. The US dollar found some support, but recent reports regarding the next Federal Reserve Chair candidate have made market participants cautious. Kevin Hassett, a White House economic adviser, is said to be the leading candidate. He is known to support...
Oil held a decline as traders weighed the outlook for an end to the war in Ukraine following high-level talks between the US and Russia, while attacks on Moscow's energy assets continued. West Texas Intermediate was below $58 a barrel after falling 1.2% on Tuesday. Brent closed near $62. The Kremlin said Vladimir Putin held "very useful" talks with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, though the sides failed to reach agreement on a plan to end Russia's war in Ukraine. The talks came against the backdrop of another attack on a Russia-linked tanker, but it remains...
Oil prices fell 1% on Tuesday (December 2nd) as the market weighed fading hopes for a Russia-Ukraine peace deal and concerns about oversupply. Brent crude futures closed 72 cents lower, or 1.14%, at $62.45 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell 68 cents, or 1.15%, to $58.64 a barrel. Both benchmarks rose more than 1% on Monday. Investors shifted their focus to Russia-Ukraine peace talks as Russian President Vladimir Putin met with U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in the Kremlin on Tuesday. "Oil prices were...
Gold (XAU/USD) fell about 0.80% on Tuesday (December 2nd) as traders appeared to be taking profits ahead of next week's Federal Reserve (Fed) monetary policy meeting, amid a strengthening US dollar. At the time of writing, XAU/USD was trading at $4,193, after hitting a daily high of $4,240. XAU/USD weakened as traders unwound their positions ahead of next week's FOMC decision. The optimistic market mood weighed on gold's safe-haven appeal, while the greenback, according to the US Dollar Index (DXY), held firm at 99.44, up 0.04%. On Monday, the ISM Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index...
Gold prices fell more than 1% on Tuesday (December 2) as investors took profits after hitting a six-week high in the previous session, while they awaited key US economic data ahead of next week's Federal Reserve policy meeting. Spot gold fell 1.4% to $4,173.91 an ounce at 11:09 a.m. ET (16:09 GMT). US gold futures for February delivery fell 1.6% to $4,205.10 an ounce. "This is probably just a little profit-taking; the biggest focus of the market lately has been expectations of a rate cut, and those expectations remain fairly stable," said Peter Grant, vice president and senior metals...