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 dollar held steady on Tuesday, trading near a three-year low against the euro and a six-month trough against the yen, as investors trying to make sense of the constant changes to President Donald Trump'stariffs remained wary of U.S. assets. Much of the volatility that hit the dollar last week and sent Treasury yields soaring appeared to have abated somewhat on Tuesday, although investor sentiment was still fragile. The euro , which has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of this month's dumping of U.S. assets, was a touch weaker on the day at $1.1336, narrowly below last week's...
The pound rose above $1.32, a six-month high, as markets responded to easing trade fears and shifting Bank of England (BoE) expectations. Hopes that Trump might delay auto tariffs helped UK exporters, especially car parts makers reliant on US trade, lifting sentiment for sterling. On the other hand, the BoE is seen as likely to cut rates soon — with markets nearly fully pricing in a rate cut in May — as UK firms shed jobs ahead of tax hikes and higher wage costs. While private-sector wage growth remains high at 5.9%, employment fell sharply in March, hinting at economic weakness. A...
Oil prices rose after a sluggish session on Monday, with traders monitoring the latest U.S. moves in the trade war and the prospect of easing curbs on Iranian crude. Brent traded around $65 a barrel after rising 0.2% on Monday, while West Texas Intermediate held near $62. Wall Street regained some calm on Monday, with stocks and bonds gaining after a tumultuous week amid President Donald Trump's disruptive tariff policies. "Macro sentiment has stabilized for now, and crude oil is on a slow path to recovery," said Huang Wanzhe, an analyst at Dadi Futures. "With the first wave of ‘tariff...
Gold prices fell slightly in Asian trade on Tuesday, but remained near recent peaks as safe-haven demand remained buoyed by uncertainty over U.S. plans for trade tariffs. Gold prices have fallen in recent sessions as exemptions for electronics imports from high U.S. tariffs on China helped boost some risk sentiment. President Donald Trump on Monday also flagged the possibility of more exemptions. But Trump's 145% tariffs on China, coupled with Beijing's 125% tariffs, have largely remained in place, signaling a bitter trade war between the world's largest economies. The idea has kept gold...
Silver (XAG/USD) price continues to show strength for the fifth straight session, trading around $32.30 per troy ounce during the Asian session on Tuesday (4/15). The daily chart technical analysis shows a developing bullish trend, with the grey metal moving up within an ascending channel pattern. Silver price remains above the nine-day and 50-day Exponential Moving Averages (EMA), indicating strong near-term momentum. Furthermore, the 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) is at the 50 level, reinforcing the active bullish bias. On the upside, the XAG/USD pair may target the upper boundary...