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 (XAG/USD) prices traded cautiously near Friday's lows around $29.50 in thin volumes before the New Year on Monday. The white metal was broadly under pressure as the US Dollar (USD) outlook remained firm on expectations that a moderate policy easing cycle by the Federal Reserve (Fed) in 2025 would keep US Treasury yields elevated. The 10-year US Treasury yield fell 0.5% in the European session on Monday but is still almost 15% higher this calendar year near 4.60%. The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback against a basket of six major currencies, edged lower but remained...
EUR/USD traded sluggishly just above 1.0400 amid illiquid trading activity in the European session on Monday. The Euro (EUR) is set to end the calendar year down nearly 5.5% against the US Dollar (USD), which was hit particularly hard during the last three months of 2024 as the European Central Bank (ECB) maintained its dovish stance on interest rates. In addition, market participants are concerned about the Eurozone's economic growth as the impending tariff hikes from US President-elect Donald Trump are likely to destabilize its export sector. Source: FXStreet
The AUD/USD pair halted its five-day losing streak, trading around 0.6200 during European hours on Monday. The pair gained as the US Dollar (USD) remained weaker amid thin trading ahead of the New Year holiday, while the US Treasury bond yields depreciated. The US Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the value of the US Dollar (USD) against a basket of six major currencies, is trading around 108.00, with the 2-year and 10-year yields on the US Treasury note at 4.30% and 4.59%, respectively. Source: FXStreet
The Japanese Yen (JPY) remained strong against the US Dollar (USD) on Monday. The USD/JPY pair remained subdued as the Japanese Yen (JPY) strengthened on the possibility of the Bank of Japan (BOJ) raising interest rates in January following the release of the Tokyo Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation data last week. Japan's Jibun Bank Manufacturing PMI came in at 49.6 in December, slightly beating the preliminary estimate of 49.5 and improving from 49.0 in November. While marking the highest level since September, it still signaled a decline in factory activity for the sixth straight...
Gold prices (XAU/USD) recovered recent losses from the previous session, despite lower trading volumes on Monday than usual ahead of the New Year holiday. Safe-haven Gold gained upside support as markets anticipate signals on the US economy under the incoming Trump administration and the Federal Reserve's (Fed) interest rate outlook for 2025. Safe-haven demand for the yellow metal could increase as potential tariffs and trade policies by the incoming Trump administration, which could trigger trade conflicts, boost risk aversion sentiment. However, the prospect of fewer Fed rate cuts in...