skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Asian markets mostly rose Friday following a surge on Wall Street after unexpectedly weak US data tempered talk of an interest rate hike by summer.
Despite the easing rate expectations, the dollar maintained its strength against the yen and euro after retreating slightly from multi-year highs Thursday.
Tokyo jumped 1.08 per cent, Hong Kong added 0.11 per cent, Seoul gained 0.88 per cent and Shanghai put on 0.30 per cent but Sydney eased 0.62 per cent.
MALAYSIA share prices opened lower on Friday with the FTSE Bursa Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Composite Index down 2.25 points to 1784.98.
Volume was 65.25 million lots worth RM16.39 million.
Gainers outnumbered losers 122 to 44.
The ICE U.S. Dollar Index rose for the second- straight week Friday, after the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s February nonfarm payrolls number exceeded expectations and the euro dropped to its lowest level versus the U.S. unit in more than 11 years.
The ICE U.S. Dollar Index DXY, +1.43% a measure of the buck’s strength against a basket of six rival currencies, finished the day up 1.3% to 97.63, its highest level in ,more than 11 1/2 years.
The euro EURUSD, -1.70% was at $1.0844 in recent trade after falling to its lowest level since 2003 at $1.0839 after the jobs report. It had traded at $1.1030 late Thursday.
The dollar USDJPY, +0.59% retreated slightly after hitting a four-month high of 121.27 yen, nearing its highest level against the Japanese currency since the summer of 2007, compared with ¥120.14 late Thursday in New York. The buck also USDZAR, +1.70% rose to its highest level against the South African rand in 13 years after the report, trading at 12.05 rand to the dollar, compared with 11.84 Thursday.
The pound GBPUSD, -1.34% traded at $1.5037 after the report, its lowest level in about a month. It had traded at $1.5238 Thursday.
April platinum PLJ5, -1.68% finished at $1,158.80 an ounce, down $21.30, or 1.8%.
Gold is down 2.3% on the week, while June palladium PAM5, -0.67% fell $6.90, or 0.8%, to $818.15 an ounce, losing 0.2% for the week.
May copper HGK5, -1.56% declined by 4.4 cents, or 1.6%, to $2.609 a pound, for a loss of 3.1% for the week.
May silver SIK5, -1.44% lost 35.1 cents, or 2.2%, to settle at $15.807 an ounce. For the week, prices were down 4.5%.
