The Hang Seng Index fell 54 points, or 0.2%, to close at 25,123 on Tuesday (August 19), marking its fourth session of declines and its lowest close in nearly three weeks. Investors remained cautious ahead of the PBoC's monthly benchmark lending rate review due on Wednesday. Weakening US index futures also added to risk-off sentiment ahead of the Jackson Hole meeting later this week. Meanwhile, the latest data showed China's youth unemployment rate jumped to 17.8% in July from 14.5% in June, the highest since August 2024. The broader unemployment rate also rose to a four-month high of...
The GBP/USD pair remains on the defensive around 1.2895, the lowest since August 16 during the early Asian trading hours on Friday. The major pair edges lower after the UK Labour government announced its first Autumn Forecast Statement on Wednesday. The US inflation, as measured by the Personal Consumption Expenditure Price Index (PCE), grew at a slightly faster-than-expected pace in September. Data released by the US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) on Thursday showed that the headline PCE rose 2.1% YoY in September, compared to 2.2% in August, in line with the market consensus of...
Gold was steady after its biggest one-day drop since July, as traders took profits near record-high levels and strong US data weakened the case for further monetary easing. Bullion traded near $2,745 an ounce and was on track to end this week little changed. The metal fell from a record-high on Thursday as Treasury yields climbed, reflecting a drop in expectations for aggressive Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts following an unexpected drop in new jobless claims and a pick up in underlying inflation. Higher rates tend to weigh on gold, which...