The Nikkei 225 Index rose 1.27% to close at 48,278 while the broader Topix Index added 0.62% to 3,203 on Thursday, extending gains from the previous session as investors navigated political uncertainty in Japan, while a strong earnings season kept the momentum in stocks. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party proposed holding a vote for a new prime minister on Oct. 21, though opposition parties have yet to agree on the date, keeping the outlook for LDP's Sanae Takaichi unclear. Sentiment was also lifted by a solid start to the earnings season, bolstered by expectations of US rate cuts and...
US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil prices traded around $67.90 on Thursday (11/14). WTI prices recovered slightly amid a surprise drop in crude oil. However, a stronger US Dollar (USD) in general may cap gains. The American Petroleum Institute (API) weekly report showed crude oil stockpiles fell last week. Crude oil stocks in the United States for the week ended November 8 fell by 777,000 barrels, compared with a build of 3.132 million barrels in the previous week. Market consensus had expected stocks to increase by 1 million barrels. The black gold's gains may be capped...
The U.S. dollar advanced to one-year high against major currencies on Wednesday powered by so-called Trump trades and after U.S. inflation for October came in as expected, suggesting the Federal Reserve will continue lowering interest rates. The greenback hit its highest level since November 2023, buoyed by Donald Trump's victory in last week's U.S. presidential election, which sparked expectations of potentially inflationary tariffs and other measures by his incoming administration. Trump's Republican Party will also control both houses of Congress when he takes office in January, Edison...
Oil edged higher after swinging between gains and losses for much of the session as traders weighed mixed signals about the risks to flows from the Middle East against the prospect of an impending supply glut. West Texas Intermediate added 0.5% to settle above $68 a barrel, while Brent settled around $72. WTI had gained as much as 1.1% and slid as much as 1.7% during the session. Crude fell earlier in the day on unconfirmed reports that Iran may hold off on retaliating against Israel, said Dan Ghali, a commodity strategist at TD Securities. Prices rebounded later after...
Gold prices extended losses for the fourth straight session on Wednesday, weighed down by a stronger dollar and elevated bond yields on news that October U.S. consumer prices increased as expected. The Labor Department also reported slower progress toward low inflation since mid-year, which could result in fewer interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve next year. Spot gold was down 0.7% at $2,580.39 per ounce by 01:49 p.m. ET (1849 GMT), after hitting a near two-month low earlier in the session. U.S. gold futures settled 0.8% lower at $2,586.50 per ounce. The dollar, advanced near a...
Gold futures fall 0.4% to $2,596.30 a troy ounce. The precious metal had risen earlier in European trading, but looks set to end a fourth consecutive session down. The precious metal has faced significant downward pressure since Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election. The U.S. dollar and Treasuries significantly rose after Trump's victory, reducing the appeal of non-yielding safe-havens like bullion. Trump's planned tax cuts and tariffs are also viewed as likely to boost inflation, decreasing the chances of further sizeable Federal Reserve interest rate cuts. Meanwhile, the latest...