USD/JPY: Pace of decline may slow – OCBC

TradingKey - As of today (June 26) during the Asian session, gold (XAUUSD) prices fluctuated around $4,010. Yesterday, gold rebounded briefly following the release of the PCE data, with market sentiment improving significantly compared to before the release. However, from an overall structural perspective, gold has not yet fully shaken off its weak setup. Although the PCE data did not deteriorate further beyond expectations, triggering short-term short-covering, US inflation remains significantly above the Federal Reserve's 2% target. Expectations of future Fed rate hikes persist, limiting the upside potential for gold's rebound.

TradingKey - On Thursday, June 25 (Eastern Time), Apple (AAPL) shares closed down 6.12% at $275.15, after hitting an intraday low of $273.75. Looking at the session, Apple not only underperformed the Nasdaq today but also became one of the key heavyweights dragging down the performance of mega-cap tech stocks. The direct catalyst for the market sell-off was Apple's recent announcement of price hikes across multiple hardware products, triggering a reassessment by investors of its future demand, profit margins, and brand pricing power.

Despite plans to attend a national conference next week, stock prices for Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix failed to rise and instead plummeted by over 9%.

The US May PCE data reinforced rate hike expectations, and Bitcoin prices broke yesterday's low, approaching $58,000.

Japanese and South Korean stock markets opened lower and extended losses, with the KOSPI and Nikkei 225 indices falling around 3%, while Kioxia, SK Hynix, and Samsung Electronics plunged collectively.