Today's News Update - 5th July 2024 Asia Asia-Pacific markets saw mostly gains on Thursday, highlighted by Japan's Nikkei 225 and Taiwan's benchmark reaching record highs. The Nikkei 225 advanced 0.82% to close at 40,913.65, surpassing its previous peak of 40,888.43 set in March. This surge followed the largest wage hikes in three decades by Japanese companies. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 0.21% in its final trading hour, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 ended the day up 1.19% at 7,831.9, despite Australia's trade surplus narrowing to AU$5.77 billion ($3.88 billion) in May from AU$6.03 billion the previous month. US In the latest trading session in the United States, the S&P 500 extended its gains by 0.51% to close at a fresh record of 5,537.02. Similarly, the Nasdaq Composite surged 0.88% to a new all-time high of 18,188.30, buoyed by robust performances from tech giants such as Tesla and Nvidia, which led the rally in the sector. Conversely, the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged down by 0.06%, finishing the session at 39,308. The decline in the Dow was primarily attributed to a decrease in the stock of UnitedHealth, which weighed on the index despite the broader positive sentiment in the market. Commodity Oil prices fell early Thursday after disappointing U.S. employment and business activity data suggested a potential economic slowdown in the top oil-consuming nation. Brent crude futures dropped 30 cents to $87.04 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 32 cents to $83.56 by 0030 GMT, with trading subdued due to the U.S. Fourth of July holiday. Meanwhile, gold prices rose slightly on Thursday following softer-than-expected U.S. economic data, boosting expectations of potential Federal Reserve interest rate cuts as early as September. Spot gold was up 0.3% at $2,362.10 per ounce as of 0200 GMT, after hitting a near two-week high in the previous session, while U.S. gold futures were unchanged at $2,369.80. The above analysis is only for the views of market researchers and is for reference only and is not Regarded as a specific investment suggestion. #Forex #trading #tradingforex