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 Index (DXY), which tracks the performance of the US Dollar (USD) against six major currencies, is getting ready for one the most important phone calls in nearly a decade history while the biggest central bank is considering its next steps in monetary policy this week. At the time of writing on Monday, the DXY index edges lower and trades near 103.40 after the United States (US) Retail Sales data release for February. On the geopolitical front, a high-stakes meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled on Tuesday, with the two...
The Pound Sterling (GBP) jumps to near 1.2970 against the US Dollar (USD) at the start of the week. The GBP/USD pair rises as the US Dollar Index, which tracks the Greenback's value against six major currencies, declined to near 103.50. The USD Index weakens while investors await the monetary policy decision from the Federal Reserve (Fed) and the Bank of England (BoE), which will be announced on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. Both the Fed and the BoE are expected to keep interest rates steady. According to the CME FedWatch tool, the Fed is almost certain to keep borrowing rates...
West Texas Intermediate (WTI), futures on NYMEX, posts a fresh weekly high near $68.00 in European trading hours on Monday. The Oil price strengthens on hopes that China's fresh monetary stimulus plan will boost domestic consumption. On Sunday, the Chinese ministry announced a comprehensive "special action plan" to ramp up economic growth. The ministry reported that the plan focuses on increasing residents' incomes, reducing financial burdens, and enhancing the consumption environment, Reuters report. Such a scenario is favorable for the Oil price given that China is the largest importer...
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the performance of the US Dollar (USD) against six major currencies, could see an outburst in volatility this week amid geopolitical developments and the Federal Reserve (Fed) meeting. At the time of writing on Monday, the DXY index edges lower and trades near 103.50 ahead of the United States (US) Retail Sales data for February. On the geopolitical front, a high-stakes meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled on Tuesday, with the two parties to discuss territory and to divide up certain assets,...
The euro is nearing $1.09, near its November high, as traders await further updates on Germany's fiscal stimulus. A key spending plan vote is set for this week, with proposed reforms, exempting defense spending from debt limits and setting out a €500 billion infrastructure investment plan, expected to be passed in Germany's lower and upper houses. This follows a deal secured by the election-winning conservative CDU/CSU bloc with the SPD and the Greens. Meanwhile, investors are closely monitoring developments in the ongoing trade war and the situation in Ukraine. On the monetary policy...