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...
Silver price (XAG/USD) extends its gains for the third successive day, trading around $29.60 per troy ounce during the Asian hours on Friday. This sustained rally is attributed to strong safe-haven demand amid persistent geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and the prolonged Russia-Ukraine conflict. Axios referenced three sources, indicating that US President Joe Biden reportedly explored contingency plans to target Iran's nuclear facilities if Tehran advanced significantly in developing a nuclear bomb before Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20. These talks underscore the growing...
The Australian Dollar (AUD) extends its gains for the second successive session against the US Dollar (USD) on Friday. The AUD gained support following a Financial Times report stating that the People's Bank of China (PBoC) expects an interest rate cut this year at an appropriate time. As close trade partners, any fluctuations in China's economy tend to impact Australian markets. The AUD/USD pair appreciates as the Australian Dollar recovers from two-year lows as stronger commodity prices provide support, particularly Oil and Gold, benefiting Australia's position as a major exporter of...
A gauge of the dollar weakened for the first time in eight sessions before ISM manufacturing data that's likely to provide more clues on the health of the US economy. Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index slipped 0.1%, with Australia and New Zealand's currencies leading gains against the greenback. "Dollar is getting marginally sold in thin trading as traders try not to over-read markets ahead of ISM," said Christopher Wong, strategist at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. "Apart from the small selloff this morning, the dollar remains broadly firmer, with the DXY above 109...
Gold edged up on Friday on a softer U.S. dollar and safe haven flows, with the metal en-route for a weekly gain as attention turned to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's proposed policy changes that could influence the economic and interest rate outlook going forward. Spot gold was up 0.2% at $2,661.19 per ounce, as of 0257 GMT, hitting its highest level since Dec. 13. Bullion is up about 1.6% for the week so far. U.S. gold futures rose 0.2% to $2,675.40. The dollar index DXY fell 0.2%, making dollar-priced bullion more affordable for holders of other currencies. "We have seen an...
Gold was on track for its biggest weekly gain since November, as broad risk-off sentiment buoyed demand for haven assets. Bullion was trading near $2,660 an ounce after climbing 1.3% on Thursday, with investors monitoring increasing concerns over near-term volatility in stock markets. The Cboe's VIX Index climbed for the fourth time in five days, helping to underscore the appeal of safe assets such as gold. Meanwhile, a pair of deadly attacks in the US this week further compounded market angst, sparking domestic security concerns ahead of Donald Trump's official return...