Three major US indexes closed at new record highs after a lower-than-expected inflation report raised the possibility of a Federal Reserve interest rate cut later this year and prompted investors to shift to riskier assets. The S&P 500 rose 0.8%, the Nasdaq rose 1%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 470 points. Technology stocks led the rally, with AMD and IBM surging 7.5% and 8.77%, respectively, after IBM said it had successfully implemented a key quantum error correction algorithm on AMD chips, boosting sentiment across the sector. Intel rose 1.6% after returning to...
The US Dollar Index (DXY), an index of the value of the US Dollar (USD) measured against a basket of six world currencies, trades on a stronger note around 98.30 during the Asian trading hours on Wednesday. Diminishing odds for a more aggressive policy easing by the Federal Reserve (Fed) after a jump in US July wholesale prices provide some support to the DXY. Traders ramped up expectations on a rate reduction at the Fed's September meeting after a weak July employment report, and as last month's Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation data showed limited upward pressure from tariffs....
Asian currencies mostly weaken against the dollar in the morning session ahead of the three-day Jackson Hole symposium that starts Thursday. Traders are seemingly squaring their books ahead of Fed Chair Powell's speech at the symposium on Friday, StoneX's Matt Simpson says in a commentary. This could prove to be a volatile event, given Jackson Hole has been used as a platform for the Fed to outline longer-term policy adjustments, the senior market analyst says. USD/KRW rises 0.3% to 1,397.00, USD/THB adds 0.2% to 32.61, and AUD/USD edges 0.1% lower to 0.6444, LSEG data show. Source: Dow...
Gold held a small decline ahead of a key address by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell later this week, which may give fresh clues on the central bank's monetary path. Bullion traded at around $3,315 an ounce early in Asia, holding a 0.5% decline from the previous session after the latest efforts to halt the Russia-Ukraine war impacted haven demand. Attention is turning to Powell's annual address at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on Friday, amid strong expectations the Fed will cut borrowing costs by a quarter point next month. Lower rates are beneficial for gold...
Oil steadied after a report signaled a decline in US stockpiles, while investors weighed the outlook for Ukraine-Russia truce talks. Brent traded near $66 a barrel after falling 1.2% on Tuesday, while West Texas Intermediate was below $63. The industry-funded American Petroleum Institute reported crude inventories fell by 2.4 million barrels last week, according to people familiar with the figures. Official data is due later Wednesday. The market is keeping close tabs on progress toward a ceasefire to the war in Ukraine following a series of high-level...
EUR/USD consolidates during the North American session above the 1.1600 figure as traders await the Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell's speech at Jackson Hole, alongside the outcome of the Ukraine-Russia conflict solution. The pair trades at around 1.1640, down 0.12% at the time of writing. The economic docket in the United States (US) featured housing data on Tuesday, which was mainly ignored by investors. Last week's inflation figures on the consumer and producer side generated a two-way pricing for a Fed rate cut. Initially, after the Consumer Price Index (CPI) release, some...