Australia’s central bank is “vigilant” over upside risks to inflation and won’t hesitate to raise interest rates further if needed, Governor Michele Bullock said, reinforcing her hawkish rhetoric from earlier this week. “I know this is not what people want to hear,” Bullock said Thursday in a speech in her hometown of Armidale in northern New South Wales. “But…
The yen was poised for its strongest week in nearly three months on Friday as traders unwound their long-held bets against the frail currency ahead of crucial U.S. inflation data that could cement rate cut expectations. The yen has dominated the currency markets this month, surging to a near three-month high of 151.945 per dollar…
Japanese shares closed the week lower, even as the yen strengthened to its strongest week in nearly three months, fueled by expectations that the interest rate gap between Japan and the US will narrow. The Nikkei 225 dropped 0.53%, or 202.10 points, finishing at 37,667.41. The yen hit 153.625 on Friday, marking a 2.3% weekly…
Oil fell, joining a retreat in commodities and equity markets, as a soft outlook for China’s economy outweighed lower US stockpiles. Brent dropped toward $81 a barrel after gaining 0.9% on Wednesday, with West Texas Intermediate near $77. While Beijing further eased monetary policy on Thursday, there’s underlying concern that its slowdown will hamper crude demand. Equities and commodities including copper were…
Gold price (XAU/USD) extends the previous day’s sharp retracement slide from the weekly peak and remains under heavy selling pressure for the second straight day on Thursday. The downfall, though lacking any obvious fundamental catalyst, drags the commodity to a two-week low, around the $2,370 level during the Asian session. That said, a combination of…
The Hang Seng Index opened 0.2% lower at 17,606.47 in Hong Kong. Meituan contributed the most to the index decline, decreasing 1.5%. BYD Electronic International Co. had the largest drop, falling 4.0%. In early trading, 46 of 82 shares fell, while 29 rose; 2 of 4 sectors were lower, led by commerce and industry stocks….
