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...
Pound Sterling (GBP) gained modestly against the dollar but underperformed the euro as stagnant productivity, soft labor demand, and sticky wage growth underscore the UK's stagflation risk, BBH FX analysts report. Sterling lags euro amid soft UK labor backdrop"GBP/USD edged higher on broad US Dollar (USD) weakness. Pound Sterling (GBP) is underperforming against EUR. The UK July labor market data matched consensus." "The unemployment rate was unchanged for a third straight month at a four-year of 4.7% in July (BOE Q3 projection: 4.8%). Worrisomely, the vacancies-to-unemployment ratio...
EUR/USD remains near the upper end of its three-month trading range, with another test of 1.18 possible today. Despite a recent spike, implied volatility has retreated, underscoring calmer market conditions, Commerzbank's FX analyst Michael Pfister notes. EUR/USD seems to be struggling to break above 1.18"Last week, I discussed the possible factors that could push EUR/USD back above 1.18 in detail here. However, the fact that it feels like we have been trading within a fairly narrow range for the last three months must also be put into perspective. While it is true that EUR/USD seems to be...
Silver steadied around $42.5 per ounce on Tuesday, hovering near 14-year highs as investors positioned for an expected US Federal Reserve rate cut this week. Markets are nearly fully pricing in a 25 basis point reduction on Wednesday, with 67 bps of easing projected by year-end. Expectations have been bolstered by data showing a cooling labor market and subdued inflation. President Donald Trump also pressed Fed Chair Jerome Powell for a larger cut, citing housing market weakness. Elsewhere, central banks in Canada and China are expected to ease policy this week, while those in Japan and the...
The dollar traded near a 2.5-month low against the euro and near a 10-month low against the risk-sensitive Australian dollar on Tuesday as investors increased bets for a Fed rate cut this week and next. The U.S. dollar traded slightly below its lowest level in more than two months against the British pound, with U.S. President Donald Trump renewing his call for aggressive monetary easing. Markets are pricing in a rate cut of at least 25 basis points on Wednesday as a certainty, with a 50 basis point cut even more likely. A total of 67 basis points of cuts are expected over the remainder of...
Oil prices are mixed in the early Asian trade, but may be supported by supply-disruption risks. Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure, ANZ Research analysts say in a research report. Another drone attack struck Russia's Kinef refinery, which has an annual processing capacity of over 20 million tons, the analysts note. "This follows last week's wave of attacks which Ukraine claimed have struck facilities handling almost half of Russia's seaborne crude exports," the analysts add. Front-month WTI crude oil futures are little changed at $63.32/bbl; front-month Brent...