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) remains under pressure on Monday, with DXY hovering around 103.95, struggling to find traction after last week's steep decline. Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell's latest remarks on Friday reassured markets that the central bank sees no urgent need to adjust policy at the moment, though economic uncertainties are growing. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq is facing heavy market losses, down 3.3%, as investors remain cautious ahead of key United States (US) inflation data due midweek.Fed in focus as CPI loomsMarket participants are bracing for the release of February's...
Oil prices were down 1% on Monday on fears that U.S. tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China would slow economies around the world and slash energy demand while OPEC+ ramps up its supply. Brent crude oil futures futures settled at $69.28 a barrel, down $1.08, or 1.5%. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures settled at $66.03 a barrel, shedding $1.01, 1.5%. Last week marked WTI's seventh consecutive weekly decline, the longest losing streak since November 2023, while Brent fell for a third consecutive week. U.S. President Donald Trump's protectionist policies have roiled markets across the world,...
WTI crude oil futures fell to the $66.5 per barrel mark on Monday, near the six-month low of $66.3 from two sessions prior amid the outlook of weaker demand and ample supply. US President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signaled that the US could have a period of economic hardship in the medium term due the their unleashing of trade wars with Canada, China, and Mexico, in addition to pledges of aggressive cuts in public spending. In China, fresh data showed that both consumer and producer prices fell more than expected in February, raising concerns that consumption for...
USD/CHF pair posts a fresh three-month low around 0.8760 at the start of the week. The pair weakens as the safe-haven demand of the Swiss Franc (CHF) increases amid deepening concerns over the United States (US) economic outlook. Investors see the US economy to face economic turbulence in the near term as the "America First" agenda of President Donald Trump is expected to result in a slowdown in the overall demand. On Friday, Trump said in an interview with Fox News that there is a period of "transition", because what we are doing is very "big".Fears of a US growth slowdown have prompted...
Oil prices held steady on Monday as concerns over the impact of U.S. tariff uncertainty and rising output from OPEC+ producers weighed on prices while potential sanctions on Iranian oil exports provided some support. Brent crude was up 9 cents at $70.45 a barrel by 1310 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $67.19, up 15 cents. Last week marked WTI's seventh straight weekly loss, its longest losing streak since November 2023, while Brent fell for a third straight week. U.S. President Donald Trump's protectionist policies have rattled markets around the world, imposing and then...