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...
Gold prices moved lower amid a quiet post-Christmas holiday trade, trading near $2,630 during the Asian session on Friday (12/27). However, the safe-haven asset could find upside support as markets anticipate signals from the US economy under the incoming Trump administration and the Federal Reserve's (Fed) interest rate outlook for 2025. Gold, a non-yielding asset, gained traction as modest US PCE inflation data challenged expectations of limited Fed rate cuts next year, hinting at the possibility of more cuts. The safe-haven appeal was supported by rising geopolitical risks stemming from...
The Japanese Yen (JPY) strengthened against the US Dollar (USD) on Friday. The USD/JPY pair retreated from its recent gains as the Japanese Yen (JPY) strengthened following the release of the Tokyo Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation data. The data is expected to keep the Bank of Japan (BoJ) on track to raise interest rates in January The headline Tokyo CPI inflation rose to 3.0% YoY in December, up from 2.6% in November. Meanwhile, Tokyo CPI excluding Fresh Food and Energy rose to 2.4% YoY in December, compared to 2.2% in the previous month. Tokyo CPI excluding Fresh Food also rose...
Silver (XAG/USD) prices extended its gains for the sixth straight day, trading around $29.90 during Asian hours on Friday. Silver prices could find upside support amid safe-haven demand as markets anticipate signals on the US economy under the incoming Trump administration and the Federal Reserve's (Fed) interest rate outlook for 2025 Non-yielding silver gained traction as modest US PCE inflation data challenged expectations of limited Fed rate cuts next year, hinting at the possibility of more cuts. The safe-haven appeal was supported by rising geopolitical risks stemming from the ongoing...
Oil prices fell in sluggish year-end trading, with investors assessing the outlook for 2025 while monitoring developments in the Middle East. Brent crude was steady near $73 a barrel, after falling 0.4% on Thursday, while West Texas Intermediate held below $70 a barrel. A 10-day volatility gauge for the U.S. crude benchmark has fallen to its lowest level since 2021, with the same metric for Brent dropping to its narrowest reading since March. Source: Bloomberg
Gold was steady in quiet post-holiday trade, after mixed U.S. jobless claims data did little to change bets on the Federal Reserve's interest rate cut prospects. Bullion was near $2,633 an ounce, after rising 0.6% on Thursday, following a report showing initial applications for U.S. unemployment benefits rose to their highest in more than three years — suggesting it is taking longer for unemployed people to find work. Initial claims, however, fell. Speaking after the Fed's final policy meeting of 2024, Chairman Jerome Powell last week reiterated that the labor market was cooling in a way...