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...
Silver price (XAG/USD) extends its losing streak for a third consecutive session, trading around $32.40 per troy ounce during Asian hours on Monday. The prices of the grey metal depreciate as softer economic data from China fuel demand concerns. China's Producer Price Index (PPI) dropped 2.2% year-over-year, following a 2.3% decline in the previous two months. This represents the slowest contraction since August 2024 but highlights persistent deflationary pressures in China's industrial sector, where Silver demand is significant. Moreover, China's Consumer Price Index (CPI) fell 0.7%...
Oil prices fell in Asian trade on Monday as weak inflation data from top importer China kept traders on edge over slowing demand, while uncertainty over the impact of U.S. trade tariffs also weighed. Crude prices had slumped to more than three-year lows last week amid a storm of negative factors, chiefly concerns over slowing demand and increasing supply. Signs of a cooling U.S. economy also weighed. Brent oil futures expiring in May fell 0.4% to $70.10 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 0.4% to $66.48 a barrel by 22:48 ET (02:48 GMT). Both contracts were trading...
Gold held firm following a weekly advance as rising concerns about the global economic outlook buttressed haven demand. Spot bullion steadied near $2,912 an ounce, after gaining almost 2% last week. In the US, President Donald Trump said the economy faced "a period of transition" as he pressed on with his focus on tariffs and federal job cuts. In China, data pointed to persistent deflationary pressures. The precious metal has surged in the opening quarter of 2025, hitting successive records and gaining every week apart from one. The rally has been driven by investor anxiety about...
The dollar index remained at a four-month low below 104 on Monday after sliding over 3% last week, pressured by mounting US economic concerns. On Sunday, US President Donald Trump described the economy as undergoing "a period of transition" during a Fox News interview, when asked about the risk of a recession. His remarks came as financial markets grappled with an escalating global trade war, following new US tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China. Meanwhile, Friday's jobs report added to the uncertainty, showing that the US economy added 151K jobs in February, slightly below forecasts of...
The Australian Dollar (AUD) rebounded on Monday, recovering losses from the previous two sessions against the US Dollar (USD). The AUD/USD pair's upward movement was primarily driven by concerns over a potential slowdown in the US economy. The Aussie Dollar also received support from stronger-than-expected GDP growth and trade data from Australia released last week. On the monetary policy front, the latest Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Meeting Minutes indicated caution regarding further interest rate cuts, clarifying that February's rate reduction does not signal a commitment to...