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...
Gold held steady on Wednesday ahead of a key U.S. inflation data that could help gauge the Federal Reserve's interest rate path amid trade tensions and economic slowdown fears, while attention was also on a potential ceasefire deal in Ukraine. Spot gold was flat at $2,915.65 an ounce as of 0455 GMT, while U.S. gold futures were steady at $2,921.00. Investors await U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) data due later in the day to analyse the Fed's interest rate stance going forward this year. If rising price pressures force the Fed to keep interest rates higher, gold may lose its allure as it...
Oil prices edged up on Wednesday, buoyed by a weaker dollar, but mounting fears of a U.S. economic slowdown and the impact of tariffs on global economic growth capped gains. Brent futures rose 51 cents, or 0.7%, to $70.07 a barrel at 0430 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures gained 52 cents, or 0.8%, to $66.77 a barrel. Despite the weakening economic outlook, oil held steady in a positive position, said Daniel Hynes, senior commodity strategist at ANZ. "That's a sign that near-term demand for crude remains strong." The dollar index, which fell 0.5% to fresh 2025 lows on...
The Japanese Yen (JPY) sticks to its negative bias against a mildly positive US Dollar (USD), allowing the USD/JPY pair to gain some positive traction for the second straight day on Tuesday and hold steady above the 148.00 mark through the Asian session. Concerns that Trump could impose fresh tariffs on Japan, along with a generally positive tone around the equity markets, turn out to be key factors undermining the safe-haven JPY. Data released earlier today showed that Japan's annual wholesale inflation – Producer Price Index (PPI) – rose 4.0% in February, underscoring broadening...
Gold price (XAU/USD) trades near the weekly high during the Asian session on Wednesday and looks to build on the previous day's goodish rebound from the $2,880 region, or a one-week low. Investors remain worried about the potential economic fallout from US President Donald Trump's trade tariffs, which, in turn, is seen as a key factor that continues to underpin the safe-haven bullion. Moreover, expectations that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will cut interest rates several times this year amid concerns about a tariff-driven slowdown in the US economic activity lend additional support to the...
The Australian Dollar (AUD) weakens against the US Dollar (USD) on Wednesday, weighed down by broad risk aversion. Concerns intensified due to policy shifts by US President Donald Trump, particularly tariffs that increased the likelihood of a prolonged trade war. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated on Wednesday that "Australia will not impose reciprocal tariffs on the United States (US)" as "retaliatory measures would only raise costs for Australian consumers and drive inflation. His remarks follow Trump's decision to implement a 25% tariff on all imported steel and...