Japanese stocks experienced a sharp decline on Wednesday, led by chip and electronics stocks, which were pressured by weakness in US technology stocks overnight. The Nikkei Stock Average fell 1.9% to 50,523.00. Stocks such as Kioxia Holdings fell 11%, SoftBank Group fell 9.1%, and Advantest plunged 8.1%. This decline reflects uncertainty in the Japanese market regarding the global technology sector. The Japanese yen also weakened slightly against the US dollar, with USD/JPY trading at 153.62, slightly higher than 153.55 at the Tokyo market close the previous day. Investors are now focused...
The Japanese Yen (JPY) remains on the front foot against its American counterpart through the Asian session on Monday, with the USD/JPY pair holding just above the lowest level since October touched in the aftermath of weaker US jobs report on Friday. Data released during the Asian session on Monday showed that the base pay in Japan surged to a 32-year high in January, while real cash earnings fell 1.8% on the back of persistent inflation. This comes on top of a growing confidence that bumper wage hikes seen last year will continue this year and backs the case for further interest rate...
Gold price (XAU/USD) continues with its struggle to gain any meaningful traction during the Asian session on Monday and remains confined in a familiar range held over the past week or so. The downside, however, remains cushioned amid fears of a global trade conflict, which continues to offer support to the safe-haven bullion. Furthermore, the growing acceptance that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will cut interest rates multiple times this year, bolstered by Friday's weaker US jobs data, turns out to be another factor acting as a tailwind for the non-yielding yellow metal. Apart from this,...
Silver price (XAG/USD) extends its losing streak for a third consecutive session, trading around $32.40 per troy ounce during Asian hours on Monday. The prices of the grey metal depreciate as softer economic data from China fuel demand concerns. China's Producer Price Index (PPI) dropped 2.2% year-over-year, following a 2.3% decline in the previous two months. This represents the slowest contraction since August 2024 but highlights persistent deflationary pressures in China's industrial sector, where Silver demand is significant. Moreover, China's Consumer Price Index (CPI) fell 0.7%...
Oil prices fell in Asian trade on Monday as weak inflation data from top importer China kept traders on edge over slowing demand, while uncertainty over the impact of U.S. trade tariffs also weighed. Crude prices had slumped to more than three-year lows last week amid a storm of negative factors, chiefly concerns over slowing demand and increasing supply. Signs of a cooling U.S. economy also weighed. Brent oil futures expiring in May fell 0.4% to $70.10 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 0.4% to $66.48 a barrel by 22:48 ET (02:48 GMT). Both contracts were trading...
Gold held firm following a weekly advance as rising concerns about the global economic outlook buttressed haven demand. Spot bullion steadied near $2,912 an ounce, after gaining almost 2% last week. In the US, President Donald Trump said the economy faced "a period of transition" as he pressed on with his focus on tariffs and federal job cuts. In China, data pointed to persistent deflationary pressures. The precious metal has surged in the opening quarter of 2025, hitting successive records and gaining every week apart from one. The rally has been driven by investor anxiety about...