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...
EUR/USD corrects to near 1.1030 during European trading hours on Friday after posting a fresh six-month high at 1.1145 the previous day. The major currency pair retraces as the US Dollar (USD) rebounds after United States (US) President Donald Trump's tariffs-driven sell-off and ahead of the Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) data for March and Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell's speech due to in the North American session. The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback's value against six major currencies, recovers above 102.00 from its six-month low of around 101.25. Economists expect...
The dollar index trimmed early gains to trade flat around 102 on Friday, hovering near six-month lows after a sharp 1.7% drop the previous day, as traders weighed escalating trade tensions. China's finance minister announced a 34% tariff on all US imports, matching the levy imposed by President Trump on Wednesday. Rising concerns over the economic fallout, including higher prices, slower growth, and a potential recession, have fueled speculation of more aggressive Federal Reserve rate cuts. Traders now see a 50% chance of four 25bps cuts this year, up from three earlier in the week, with...
Gold price (XAU/USD) maintains its offered tone through the first half of the European session on Friday and currently trades below the $3,100 mark, down for the second successive day. The downtick lacks any obvious fundamental catalyst and could be attributed to some repositioning trade ahead of the crucial US monthly employment details, or the Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) report. In the meantime, worries about the potential economic fallout from US President Donald Trump's sweeping reciprocal tariffs might act as a tailwind for the safe-haven Gold price. Moreover, bets that the Federal...
Oil prices were down nearly 2% on Friday, and on track for the worst week in months over U.S. President Donald Trump's new tariffs, stoking concerns that a global trade war could hurt oil demand. Brent futures fell $1.28 to $68.86 a barrel by 0703 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell $1.29 to $65.66. Brent was on course for its biggest weekly loss in percentage terms since the week ended October 14, and WTI since the week ended January 21. While the highly anticipated tariff announcement by Trump on Wednesday sank crude prices, the impact was more severe elsewhere....
Silver prices dropped to around $31.50 per ounce on Friday, bringing weekly losses to nearly 8% as global trade and economic worries triggered a widespread selloff across financial markets. The decline followed US President Donald Trump's announcement of a 10% baseline tariff on all imports, with higher levies targeting major economies including China (54%), the EU (20%), Japan (24%), and India (27%). Affected nations have vowed to retaliate, stoking fears of a tariff-driven global economic slowdown. Equities and commodities bore the brunt of the selloff, while investors shifted toward...