The S&P BSE Sensex declined 0.6 percent, the most in two weeks, to 35,907.31 as of 9:53 a.m. in Mumbai, while the NSE Nifty 50 Index slipped 0.7 percent. Markets across Asia tumbled following the biggest slide on Wall Street since mid-October.
economic growth
Bears Embrace Asia as Stock Benchmark Sinks 20% From Record High
Asia’s main equity gauge is poised to succumb, joining four major regional benchmark indexes into bear-market territory. the MSCI Asia Pacific Index slipped 0.5 percent to 149.68 as of 10:10 a.m. in Hong Kong, taking its slump from a Jan. 26 peak to 20 percent.
WTI Algos Confused Despite Surprise Crude, Gasoline Builds – Gold Silver Reports
Gold Silver Reports (GSR) — WTI Algos Confused Despite Surprise Crude – Senior Energy Analyst Vince Piazza notes that a generous dollop of bad news is good news for the crude market. U.S. sanctions on Iran, Venezuela’s deteriorating economy and other potential geopolitical disruptions will limit supply.
Crude Oil Imports may be Cut as Price Forecast Put at $100 a Barrel
With Brent crude already jumping to an almost four-year high on Monday, that’s exactly the kind of price surge President Donald Trump has been seeking to prevent by pressuring the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to raise production. Yet the cartel and its allies gave mixed signals at a meeting in Algiers on Sunday, ultimately showing little sign they would heed U.S. demands to rapidly push down crude prices.
Goldman Sachs Downgrades Indian Equities from Overweight to Market-Weight
Gold Silver Reports (GSR) — While earnings have improved, Indian equities have almost doubled over the past five years and outperformed the Asian region by 60 percentage points in US dollar terms, said the investment bank in the note. “At current levels, we believe the risk reward for Indian equities is less favourable and we lower our investment view from overweight to market-weight,” they said.
Crude Founders as Trade War Outweighs Iranian Supply Concerns
Futures in New York closed down 0.2 percent on Thursday. Iran is in the midst of a currency collapse, water shortages and deadly street protests as U.S. sanctions isolate the regime and some of the Islamic Republic’s biggest oil buyers look elsewhere for supplies. But the intensifying dispute between the world’s largest economies took center stage, imperiling economic growth.
Gold May Hit $1,300 by End of Year, ICBC Says
Gold Silver Reports (GSR) – Bullion is set to average $1,260 an ounce in the third quarter and rise further in the following three months as interest rate increases are priced in and physical demand emerges, Marcus Garvey, a London-based commodities strategist, said in an interview in India.
World’s Most Expensive Precious Metal Set to Blossom as Shortage Looms
Gold Silver Reports (GSR) – As platinum miners curb production, rhodium output will drop, causing prices to rally further, Dawson said. That could rekindle visions of the market a decade ago, when rhodium topped $10,000 an ounce after five years of a supply deficit were compounded by South African power shortages that curbed mine output.
China’s Economic Growth Remains Robust Amid Strong Retail Sales
Gold Silver Reports (GSR) – China’s Economic Growth Remains Robust Amid Strong Retail Sales — Steady growth offers support for President Xi Jinping’s mission to shore up financial stability, one of Beijing’s top goals along with reducing poverty and curbing pollution. The robust pace of expansion is a tailwind for the global economy which is seen maintaining its solid performance this year, providing needed support in the form of strong demand for China’s exports.
Brighter U.S. Growth Outlook Emboldens Fed on Rate-Hike Course – Goldman Neal Bhai Reports
Gold Silver Reports – Brighter U.S. Growth Outlook Emboldens Fed on Rate-Hike Course – U.S. central bankerssent a strong message Wednesday that an expansion with “substantial underlying economic momentum” could sustain additional increases in interest rates this year.