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 US Dollar (USD) gathered bullish momentum and outperformed its rivals on Thursday. The USD Index, which tracks the USD's valuation against a basket of six major currencies, continued to move higher on Friday morning and remained in positive territory on the weekly chart. The economic calendar will not feature any high-impact data releases on Friday, and investors will be watching comments from Federal Reserve officials and US President Donald Trump. The USD benefited from the cautious market mood and upbeat data releases on Thursday. After rebounding on Wednesday, major equity indexes...
Silver fell over 1% to around $33 per ounce on Friday, hitting a one-week low as the US dollar rebounded. The dollar's strength came after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell reaffirmed that the central bank is in no rush to cut interest rates further, despite signaling two potential rate reductions this year. Powell pointed to weakening economic growth and labor market concerns but maintained a cautious stance due to uncertainty surrounding US President Donald Trump's tariff policies and their impact on inflation. Adding to pressure on silver, lingering economic concerns in China dampened...
Gold price (XAU/USD) attracts fresh sellers during the Asian session on Friday and moves away from the all-time peak touched the previous day, though the downside potential seems limited. The US Dollar (USD) attracts buyers for the third successive day and is currently placed near the weekly high, which, in turn, is seen as a key factor exerting pressure on the commodity. Adding to this, bulls opt to take some profits off the table heading into the weekend, especially after the recent historic run. However, bets that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will resume its rate-cutting cycle should cap...
Oil prices rose on Friday, and were set for second consecutive weekly gains, as fresh U.S. sanctions on Iran and a new plan from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies (OPEC+) to cut output raised bets on tighter supply. Brent crude futures climbed 21 cents, or 0.3%, to $72.21 per barrel by 0435 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up 25 cents, or 0.4%, to $68.32 a barrel. On a weekly basis, both Brent and WTI were on track to rise about 2%, their biggest weekly gains since the first week of 2025. The United States Treasury on Thursday announced...
The GBP/USD pair lacks any firm intraday direction on Friday and oscillates in a narrow trading band, around the 1.2960 area during the Asian session. Spot prices, however, remain close to the highest since early November – levels beyond the 1.3000 psychological mark touched on Thursday – and remain at the mercy of the US Dollar (USD) price dynamics. The Federal Reserve (Fed) maintained its forecast for two 25 basis points rate cuts in 2025 at the end of March policy meeting on Wednesday and gave a bump higher to its inflation projection. Adding to this, the uncertainty surrounding US...