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...
WTI crude oil futures advanced 3.6% to settle at $76.57 per barrel on Friday, levels not seen since October, as fresh U.S. sanctions on Russia's oil sector, sparked concerns about global supply disruptions. The U.S. Treasury's sanctions target Russian oil producers Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas, as well as over 180 vessels, oil traders, and energy officials, aiming to restrict Russia's oil trade and escalate geopolitical risks. Additionally, colder U.S. weather has heightened demand for heating fuels, further supporting oil prices. Analysts from Goldman Sachs and UBS predict that supply...
The U.S. dollar rallied on Friday after data showed the world's largest economy created more jobs than expected last month, reinforcing expectations that the Federal Reserve will pause its rate-cutting cycle at its policy meeting later this month. The greenback also extended gains following a report that showed U.S. consumer inflation expectations for the next year and beyond jumped in January. The dollar rose to its highest since July against the yen after the data, before turning lower on the day. It was last down 0.1% at 157.845 yen . The euro, on the other hand, dropped to its lowest...
Gold price rebounded off daily lows on Friday, extending its rally for the fourth consecutive day as traders shrugged off a strong United States (US) Nonfarm Payrolls report. This tempered the Federal Reserve's (Fed) concerns about the labor market, but not so much inflation as some officials acknowledged. The XAU/USD trades at $2,687, up 0.69%. Bullion fell sharply after the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) revealed that the economy added an outstanding number of people to the workforce, topping 200K. As a consequence, the Unemployment Rate dipped, while investors priced in fewer...
Oil prices jumped more than 4% on Friday to their highest since October as traders focused on potential supply disruptions from further sanctions on Russia. Brent crude futures rose $3.50, or 4.6%, to $80.42 a barrel by 1422 GMT, hitting $80 a barrel for the first time since Oct. 7. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose $3.57, or 4.8%, to $77.49. The United States is set to impose some of the toughest sanctions on Russia's oil industry to date, designating 180 vessels, dozens of traders, two major oil companies and several Russian oil executives, according to a document seen by...
Gold (XAU/USD) price is set to close the week on a high note as it trades for the fourth straight day of gains. The upbeat nonfarm payrolls figure came in at 256,000 jobs, which was very close to the maximum expected gain of 260,000. The figure was enough to stoke further inflation concerns, with markets pricing in a Federal Reserve (Fed) rate cut as early as October 2025, compared to July earlier this week. Source: FXStreet