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...
Gold price surged above the $2,700 mark on Thursday as the Greenback trimmed some of its earlier gains. Data from the United States (US) revealed that the economy remains solid after the release of consumer spending figures and jobs data. US bond yields fell as traders expect further easing by the Federal Reserve (Fed). At the time of writing, the XAU/USD trades at $2,715, up 0.72%. Bullion extended its gains as market participants prepare for US President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration. The US Census Bureau revealed that Retail Sales fell short of estimates in December. However,...
Oil futures pull back from five-month highs reached on supply concerns around U.S. sanctions and winter heating fuel demand. "Crude oil finally caved under pressure from an overbought RSI," Mizuho's Robert Yawger says in a note, referring to the relative strength index. "Positioning is driving energy prices lower today. There is no associated bearish red headline." Crude maintains support from demand for heating oil, which held out for a 0.1% gain as an Arctic blast is expected over large parts of the U.S. in the coming week. The WTI front month settles down 1.7% at $78.68, and Brent falls...
Gold traded at the highest in a month mid-afternoon on Thursday, climbing for a third day as the dollar and yields moved lower after U.S. retail sales rose less than expected last month. Gold for February delivery was last seen up US$34.50 to US$2,752.30 per ounce, the highest since Dec.11. The U.S. Commerce Department on Thursday reported retail sales rose by 0.4% in December, down from a revised 0.8% in November and under expectations for a 0.5% monthly rise according to Marketwatch. The data follows on a slight drop in the core Consumer Price Index, excluding food and energy, reported...
Gold rose to its highest in a month after a surprise slowdown in U.S. inflation revived expectations for a Federal Reserve interest rate cut this year. Bullion traded at more than $2,700 an ounce after the consumer price index — which excludes food and energy costs — rose 0.2% after a 0.3% increase over four months. That suggests U.S. officials may have room to ease policy sooner than previously thought. Source: Bloomberg
The U.S. dollar steadied on Thursday despite the sharp fall in U.S. bond yields after Wednesday's inflation data as market focus shifted to Donald Trump's presidential inauguration and possible inflationary impact of his policies. Meanwhile the yen rose against the dollar and the euro as investors expected the Bank of Japan to hike rates next week. Core U.S. inflation dipped to 0.2% month-on-month in December from 0.3% in November, as expected, while the annualised 4.2% reading came below the 3.3% forecast. Traders who have been growing more worried about inflation responded with relief,...