Gold Holds Above $1,200 as U.S. Retail Sales Cloud Rates Outlook

Gold held near a five-week high amid speculation that the Federal Reserve will push back a decision to raise interest rates after data showed U.S. retail sales were little changed last month.Bullion for immediate delivery traded at $1,214.46 an ounce at 9:08 a.m. in Singapore from $1,215.75 on Wednesday, when the metal surged to $1,218.99, the highest since April 7, according to Bloomberg generic pricing. Gold in Shanghai jumped.Gold has...

old Rises to Five-Week High With Silver as Retail Sales Sputter

Gold and silver futures jumped to five-week highs as stalling U.S. retail sales revived speculation that a sputtering economy will spur the Federal Reserve to delay raising interest rates. Gold futures for June delivery rose 2.2 percent to settle at $1,218.20 an ounce at 2:02 p.m. on the Comex in New York. Earlier, the price reached $1,218.50, the highest for a most-active contract since April 6. The dollar dropped to a 15-week low against...

China Stock-Index Futures Are Little Changed After Loan Data

Chinese stock-index futures were little changed as investors weighed the prospect of more policy easing after monetary data missed economists’ estimates.CSI 300 Index futures for May increased 0.1 percent to 4,680.60 at 9:18 a.m. in Shanghai. Property developers may be active after China’s new home sales jumped 16 percent last month. Tencent Holdings Ltd. may advance in Hong Kong after reporting a record profit in the first quarter.The...

China Stocks Fluctuate as Traders Weigh Policy Easing Prospects

Chinese stocks swung between gains and losses as investors weighed the prospect of more policy easing after monetary data missed economists’ estimates. Technology and telecom companies gained, while property developers slumped.ZTE Corp. led an advance for phone companies, rallying 5.2 percent. IFlytek Co. headed for a record high. Tencent Holdings Ltd. advanced 2.6 percent in Hong...

Asian Stocks Fall as Japan Drops on Yen After U.S. Retail Sales

Asian stocks declined after weaker-than-forecast U.S. retail sales fueled concern about growth in the world’s largest economy, strengthening the yen and sending Japanese shares lower.The MSCI Asia Pacific Index fell 0.1 percent to 152.45  as of 9:06 a.m. in Tokyo. Sales at U.S. retailers were little changed in April compared with expectations for a 0.2 percent gain in a Bloomberg survey of economists. The Standard & Poor’s 500...