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...
After a solid start to the year yesterday, broad dollar gains have been checked back somewhat, leaving the Dollar Index (DXY) in consolidation mode into the weekend, Scotiabank's Chief FX Strategist Shaun Osborne notes.Some restraint in the dollar's overall advance would not be too surprising, despite its robust performance in the past couple of weeks. Fundamentals are favourable and seasonal trends suggest that strength is likely to persist through Q1. But the gains in the DXY are looking stretched relative to our fair value estimate based on rate differentials alone." "There is a Trump...
The Gold price (XAU/USD) struggles to gain ground near $2,640 during the early Asian trading hours on Monday. The stronger US Dollar (USD) after the US ISM Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) weighs on the yellow metal. All eyes will be on the US labor market data for December on Friday for fresh impetus. Data released by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) on Friday showed that the US Manufacturing PMI rose to 49.3 in December from 48.4 in November. This reading was above the market consensus of 48.4. The upbeat data has lifted the Greenback and dragged the USD-denominated...
The USD/CHF pair weakens to near 0.9110, snapping the four-day winning streak during the early European session on Friday. The safe-haven flows demand amid the persistent geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict boosts the Swiss Franc (CHF) against the Greenback. On Thursday, Joe Biden reportedly discussed plans to attack Iran's nuclear facilities in the event Tehran moved closer to building a nuclear bomb before Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20, three sources with knowledge of the issue tell Axios. Investors will closely monitor the...
The USD/JPY pair edges lower to near 157.30 during the Asian trading hours on Friday. The verbal intervention from the Japanese authorities provides some support to the Japanese Yen (JPY). However, the uncertainty surrounding the Bank of Japan's (BoJ) policy outlook might cap the JPY's upside. Markets in Japan are closed for the rest of the week. Traders brace for the US ISM Manufacturing PMI for December, which is due later on Friday. Traders will closely monitor any potential foreign exchange (FX) intervention by Japanese officials to prevent the JPY from depreciating. Japan Finance...
Gold prices retreated from a three-week high on Friday, pressured by a robust dollar, while markets braced for potential economic and trade shifts under U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. Spot gold eased 0.3% to $2,649.29 an ounce, after hitting its highest level since Dec. 13. Bullion is up about 1.1% for the week so far. U.S. gold futures were down 0.2% at $2,663.70. The new president's agenda that supports higher tariffs has boosted the dollar and created significant underlying pressure on metal markets, said Nitesh Shah, commodity strategist at WisdomTree. The dollar index was set...