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...
Oil prices rose as a major pipeline connecting Kazakhstan's fields to Russia's Black Sea coast halted loading after one of its three berths was damaged by a Ukrainian attack in the region over the weekend, while traders assessed the potential for a U.S. military operation in Venezuela alongside expectations of oversupply. West Texas Intermediate oil prices traded above $59 on Monday and had previously risen as much as 2.4%. The Caspian Pipeline Consortium carries the bulk of Kazakhstan's crude exports, which have averaged 1.6 million barrels per day so far this year. The berth was severely...
Oil rose as a key pipeline linking Kazakh fields to Russia's Black Sea coast halted loading after one of its three moorings was damaged in an attack over the weekend. Brent traded near $63 and earlier rose as much as 2.3%. The Caspian Pipeline Consortium carries most of Kazakhstan's crude exports, which have averaged 1.6 million barrels a day so far this year. Following the explosion, the mooring is severely damaged, a person with knowledge of the matter said. CPC said in response to questions about the damage that "any further operations are impossible" at the mooring,...
Gold prices traded near a six-week high on Monday, supported by a weaker dollar and expectations that the Federal Reserve could cut interest rates at its meeting later this month. Spot gold was up 0.5% at $4,249.05 an ounce by 07:49 ET, after reaching a six-week high of $4,256.2 earlier in the day. U.S. gold futures for February rose 0.7% to $4,283.25 an ounce. Gold prices jumped more than 4% last week. The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of currency pairs, briefly slipped to a two-week low on Monday. This has helped make bullion more attractive for foreign...
The yen headed for its biggest one-day rally in almost two months on Monday after Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda gave the clearest hint so far that a December rate hike may be on the table. Meanwhile the dollar struggled as investors ramped up bets of a U.S. rate cut this month. Ueda said on Monday the BOJ would consider the "pros and cons" of raising interest rates at its next policy meeting in December, offering the strongest hint so far that a hike may materialise this month. He subsequently told a press conference that he would elaborate on the central bank's future rate hike path...
Oil prices rose 2% on Monday as the Caspian Pipeline Consortium halted exports after a major drone attack and U.S.-Venezuela tensions raised concerns about supply, while OPEC+ agreed to leave oil output levels unchanged for the first quarter of 2026. Brent crude futures advanced $1.26, or 2.02%, to $63.64 a barrel by 0953 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained $1.27, or 2.17%, to $59.82. The Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which carries 1% of global oil, on Saturday said it halted operations after a mooring at its Russian terminal on the Black Sea was damaged by a Ukrainian drone....