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...
Oil headed for a second weekly gain as US crude stockpiles continued to fall and as futures breached a key technical threshold. West Texas Intermediate traded above $73 a barrel after rising 2% on Thursday to the highest level since mid-October. Brent closed near $76. US nationwide inventories dropped for a sixth straight week, and stockpiles remain well below the five-year seasonal average. Oil has broken out of a narrow range it's been trading in since the mid-October, with a move by both benchmarks above their 100-day moving average leading to algorithmic buying. The outlook...
The USD/CHF pair continues to decline from its seven-month high of 0.9080, as the US Dollar Index (DXY) hovers near 108.30 after retreating from a multi-year high of 108.58 reached on Tuesday. During European trading hours on Thursday, the USD/CHF pair trades around 0.9050.Traders will likely observe the US weekly Initial Jobless Claims and S&P Global Manufacturing PMI for December, scheduled to be released later in the North American session.However, the downside of the US Dollar could be limited by growing expectations that the US Federal Reserve (Fed) will adopt a slow and cautious...
Gold (XAU/USD) prices extended intraday gains near $2,650 in the North American open on Thursday after the New Year holiday. The precious metal gained as its appeal as a safe-haven asset increased, with investors focused on President-elect Donald Trump taking office on January 20. Trump's expected incoming policies, such as higher import tariffs and lower taxes, would be a boon for Gold. Higher import tariffs would lead to a potential global trade war and lower taxes would increase inflationary pressures in the United States (US). Gold tends to outperform amid economic uncertainty as a...
The U.S. dollar weakened on Thursday as traders headed into the new year, but the greenback remained close to a two-year high seen earlier in the week and is likely to remain supported in the near term given a more hawkish Fed stance and expectations for the incoming Trump administration. At 4:45 AM ET (09:45 GMT), the Dollar Index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six other currencies, was trading 0.1% lower at 108.215, but remained close to a two-year high hit on Tuesday. Dollar to remain in demand in 2025 The index rose 7% in 2024 as traders sharply cut expectations for a...
Silver (XAG/USD) prices kicked off 2025 on a strong note. The white metal gained nearly 1.50% in the European session on Thursday and rose near $29.40. The asset gained as the US Treasury yield rally stalled after surging more than 10% in the past four weeks The 10-year US Treasury yield dipped near 4.55%. Lower yields on interest-bearing assets suggest a lower opportunity cost for non-yielding assets, such as Silver, which increases its appeal. Meanwhile, the US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback against a basket of six major currencies, traded sideways near a more than...