In other metals, platinum for April delivery PLJ5, +0.00% gained $8.40 to $1,284.80 an ounce, while palladium for March delivery PAH5, -0.51% climbed $4.05 to $772.30 an ounce.
Gold prices strengthened Thursday to reclaim the key $1,300 mark after the European Central Bank announced a full-blown stimulus plan.
Gold for February delivery GCG5, -0.27% rose $7, or 0.5%, to settle at $1,300.70 an ounce while March silver futures SIH5, -0.30% advanced 17 cents to $18.36 an ounce in electronic trading.
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Tokyo (Nikkei Average NIK, +0.94% ) up 0.9% Hong Kong (Hang Seng Index HSI, +1.26% ) up 1.3% (at break) Shanghai (Shanghai Composite Index SHCOMP, +1.39% ) up 1.4% (at break) Sydney (S&P/ASX 200 XJO, +1.27% ) up 1.3% Seoul (Kospi SEU, +0.71% ) up 0.8% Mumbai (Sensex 1, +1.26% ) up 1.2% Taipei (Taiex Y9999, +0.97% ) up 0.9%
Asian equity markets rallied Friday after the European Central Bank announced a huge cash injection to kickstart the eurozone economy, while crude prices surged on news that the monarch of oil kingpin Saudi Arabia had died.
The ECB's unprecedented decision to pump tens of billions of dollars a month into financial markets sent the euro plunging to 11-year lows against the dollar and also fuelled a buying spree in US and European stock markets.
Hong Kong added 1.41 per cent, Shanghai gained 0.69 per cent, Sydney added 1.35 per cent and Seoul was 0.87 per cent higher. Tokyo jumped 0.84 per cent by the break.
After a much-anticipated policy meeting Thursday ECB chief Mario Draghi said it would buy 60 billion euros a month of private and public bonds from March until September 2016. Analysts had forecast 50 billion euros.
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GBP/USD hit 1.5076 during European morning trade, the session low; the pair subsequently consolidated at 1.5106, shedding 0.25%. In a report, the U.K. Office for National Statistics said that the rate of unemployment dipped to 5.8% in the three months to November from 6.0% in the previous three month-period and better than expectations for a reading of 5.9%.The report also showed that the claimant count fell by 29,700 last month, compared to expectations for a decline of 25,000 people. November’s figure was revised to a drop of 29,600 people from a previously reported decline of 26,900.Data also showed that the average earnings index rose 1.7% in the three months to November, meeting forecasts, after increasing by 1.4% in the three months to October. Excluding bonuses, wages rose by 1.8% in the three months to November, below expectations for a gain of 1.9% and following a 1.6% increase in the three months to October.
INTRADAY OUTLOOK Support: 1.5081 Resistance: 1.5143