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 USD/CHF pair remains on the defensive around 0.9045 during the early European session on Friday, pressured by the weaker US Dollar (USD) broadly. Traders will closely monitor the flash US S&P Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for January, which is due later on Friday. During a virtual address to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, US President Donald Trump on Thursday called for a drop in interest rates after asking for a reduction of oil prices set by a group of nations known as OPEC, which includes Saudi Arabia. "With oil prices going down, I'll demand that interest rates...
Crude oil prices were little changed on Friday (1/24) but headed for a weekly decline after U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a sweeping plan to increase U.S. production and demanded that OPEC lower crude prices. Brent crude futures were up 6 cents at $78.35 a barrel by 0745 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 4 cents at $74.66. For the week, Brent is down 3.07% so far, and WTI is down 4.17%. "Crude oil prices have eased so far this week, as investors trimmed their war premiums after the Gaza ceasefire while bracing for a shift in Trump's energy policy,"...
The AUD/USD pair broke out of a two-day-old consolidative trading range and climbed to its highest level in over a month, around the 0.6330 region on the last day of the week. The spot prices maintained their intraday positive bias through the first half of the European session, with bulls now awaiting a move beyond the 50-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) before positioning for any further gains amid broad-based US Dollar (USD). The USD Index (DXY), which tracks the greenback against a basket of currencies, fell to a one-month low amid bets that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will lower borrowing...
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the greenback against a basket of currencies, fell for the second straight day and dropped to a fresh monthly low during the Asian session on Friday (1/24). The index is currently trading around the 107.80 region, down nearly 0.35% for the day, and remains on track to post a second straight week of losses. The market has been pricing in the possibility that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will cut borrowing costs twice this year amid signs of inflationary pressures in the US. Moreover, US President Donald Trump, speaking remotely at the World Economic Forum...
The EUR/USD pair attracted some buyers near 1.0450 during the early Asian session on Friday (1/24), supported by a weaker US Dollar (USD). The preliminary readings of the HCOB Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for January from the Eurozone and Germany are due later on Friday. On the US data front, the flash S&P PMI for January will be in the spotlight. US President Donald Trump's remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos dragged the USD lower against a basket of major currencies. Trump said on Thursday night that he wants to see interest rates cut soon, and likewise, interest rates...