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Gold prices edged lower on Thursday, weighed down by a firmer dollar as investors looked forward to key US inflation data later this week for more cues on the interest rate path. Spot gold slipped 0.3% to $4,082.95 per ounce, while US gold futures for December delivery rose 0.8% to $4,097.40 per ounce. Prices have surged about 56% since January, touching an all-time high of $4,381.21 per ounce on Monday. The rally has been driven by a mix of economic uncertainty, expectations of interest rate cuts, and strong buying by central banks across the world. Spot silver fell 0.4% to $48.31 per ounce, extending its decline after reaching record highs earlier this month. Platinum slipped 1.4% to $1,598.65 per ounce, while palladium also dropped 1.4% to $1,438.47 per ounce.

Gold prices extended their decline on Wednesday amid profit-taking following recent record highs, as investors awaited key US inflation data this week for further indications on the Federal Reserve's potential path toward interest rate cuts. Spot gold fell 0.3% to $4,113.54 per ounce, after plunging more than 5% on Tuesday — its sharpest daily drop since August 2020. Meanwhile, US gold futures for December delivery rose 0.5% to $4,129.80 per ounce. Despite the recent correction, gold prices have surged about 56% so far this year, hitting an all-time high of $4,381.21 on Monday. The rally has been driven by heightened geopolitical and economic uncertainty, growing expectations of interest rate reductions, and sustained central bank demand for the yellow metal. Among other precious metals, spot silver fell 0.9% to $48.29 per ounce, platinum dropped 1.1% to $1,534.44, while palladium was steady at $1,406.76 per ounce.

The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) index rose at the beginning of Thursday's trading by 0.18%, gaining 19.29 points to reach 10,712 points, compared to the previous session's close, backed by four sectors. Market data showed gains in Banks and Financial Services (+0.20%), Industrials (+0.17%), Transportation (+0.09%), and Insurance (+0.08%). Meanwhile, the performance was negative for Consumer Goods and Services (-0.13%), Real Estate (-0.17%), and Telecoms (-0.27%). By 10:00 am, QSE reported a turnover of QR 45.349 million from 16.695 million shares traded across 3,124 transactions.

China's yuan-denominated loans rose 14.75 trillion yuan (about $2.08 trillion) in the first nine months of the year, central bank data showed on Wednesday. Of the total, household loans grew by 1.1 trillion yuan, and loans to enterprises and public institutions increased by 13.44 trillion yuan, according to the People's Bank of China. Outstanding yuan loans stood at 270.39 trillion yuan at the end of September, up 6.6 percent year-on-year, according to the central bank. The M2, a broad measure of money supply that covers cash in circulation and all deposits, increased 8.4 percent year-on-year to 335.38 trillion yuan at the end of September. The M1, which covers cash in circulation, demand deposits and client reserves of non-bank payment institutions, stood at 113.15 trillion yuan at the end of last month, up 7.2 percent year-on-year. The M0, which indicates the amount of cash in circulation, increased 11.5 percent year-on-year to 13.58 trillion yuan at the end of September. According to preliminary statistics, the aggregate financing to the real economy was 30.09 trillion yuan in the first nine months, which was 4.42 trillion yuan more than the same period last year. The outstanding aggregate financing to the real economy stood at 437.08 trillion yuan at the end of September, registering 8.7 percent year-on-year growth.

His Excellency the Minister of Finance Ali bin Ahmed al-Kuwari participated in the meeting of Finance Ministers, Central Bank Governors, and Heads of Regional Financial Institutions from the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The meeting was chaired by Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF), and was held on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank Group Annual Meetings, now being held in Washington, DC. The meeting discussed key strategic issues related to economic growth in the region, in addition to future outlooks and fiscal policy requirements to combat inflation. It also addressed sustainable financing strategies, ways to stimulate economic growth, and the promotion of innovation in financial development.Regional and global challenges were also reviewed, particularly the risks of rising inflation rates and food insecurity. The participants stressed the importance of continuing efforts to adapt to the current financial and economic developments.The meeting was held within the framework of enhancing regional cooperation and the exchange of insights among financial and economic policymakers, with the aim of supporting economic stability and achieving sustainable development across the region.

Google's parent company, Alphabet Inc., announced plans to invest $15 billion to build a major artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud data hub in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, marking the company's largest single investment outside the United States. The new facility will be established in the port city of Visakhapatnam and will form part of Google's global network of AI data centers across 12 countries. "It's the largest AI hub that we are going to be investing in anywhere in the world outside the United States," said Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, during an event in New Delhi on Tuesday, adding that the investment would be made over the next five years. Andhra Pradesh's Minister of Information Technology, Nara Lokesh, described the project as "a massive leap for our state's digital future, innovation, and global standing." According to the state government, the new hub will include a 1-gigawatt data center campus integrating advanced AI infrastructure, renewable energy systems, and an expanded fiber-optic network to support growing digital connectivity. The project comes amid intensifying global competition among major technology firms to expand data center capacity to meet surging demand for AI-driven services. Google has pledged to spend approximately $85 billion this year on data infrastructure worldwide, while competitors such as Microsoft and Amazon have also invested billions of dollars in India — a market with nearly one billion internet users.

The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) index rose at the beginning of Sunday's trading by 0.38%, gaining 41.56 points to reach 10,904 points, compared to the previous session's close, supported by four sectors. Market data showed gains in Banks and Financial Services (+0.53%), Consumer Goods and Services (+0.51%), Industrials (+0.44%), and Real Estate (+0.20%). Meanwhile, the performance was negative for Telecoms (-0.05%), Transportation (-0.07%), and Insurance (-0.08%). By 10:00 am, QSE reported a turnover of QR 52.797 million from 26.503 million shares traded across 2,352 transactions.

South Korea's consumer prices grew by more than 2% in September, returning to the 2% range after one month, largely due to rising prices of essential food items, data showed Thursday. Consumer prices, a key gauge of inflation, increased 2.1 % from a year earlier last month, South Korea's (Yonhap) news agency said, citing data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. Inflation had remained above the Bank of Korea's 2% target for four consecutive months through April before slowing to 1.9% in May. It then climbed again, staying above 2% in both June and July, before slowing down to 1.7% in August. The service sector continued its upward trend, posting a 2.2% on-year gain. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, went up 2% in September, accelerating from August's 1.3% growth.

The dollar sank to a one-week low versus major peers on Wednesday as the US government entered a shutdown that is likely to delay the release of crucial jobs data. The dollar index, which gauges the currency against six counterparts including the euro and yen, declined 0.2% to 97.635, and earlier dipped to 97.584 for the first time since last Wednesday. The euro rose as much as 0.3% to $1.1767, the highest since September 24. The dollar slipped 0.3% to touch 147.46 for the first time since September 19, adding to a three-day, 1.2% slide.

All three major Wall Street indices finished at record highs for the third straight session on Monday, buoyed by optimism over corporate earnings and resilient economic data. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index advanced 29.58 points, or 0.44%, to end at 6,693.96.The Nasdaq Composite Index gained 156.04 points, or 0.69%, to settle at 22,786.71.The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 70.65 points, or 0.15%, closing at 46,385.92.

The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) general index opened the week in negative territory on Sunday, edging down 13.52 points, or 0.12%, to 11,294 at the start of trading.Market data showed gains in three sectors, led by Telecoms (+0.46%), Real Estate (+0.34%), and Transportation (+0.23%). However, the index was weighed down by declines in Consumer Goods and Services (-0.32%), Insurance (-0.24%), Banks and Financial Services (-0.12%), and Industrials (-0.02%).As of 10:00 am, trading volume stood at 36.371 million shares, with a turnover of QR 93.945 million across 3,429 transactions.

The Statistical and Data Training Centre at the National Planning Council (NPC), in co-operation with Qatar Foundation (QF), has concluded a specialised training programme entitled ‘Economic Statistics for Managers: From Data to Decisions’.The initiative, held at QF headquarters, was part of national efforts to enhance government efficiency and advance knowledge-based sustainable development, a statement said.The aim is to qualify government leaders in economic fields, empowering them to effectively utilise data and statistics to impact public policies.The programme focused on developing skills for using data efficiently as a fundamental element in improving institutional performance and enhancing decision-making effectiveness.It is also a significant step towards qualifying national cadres and developing their capabilities in statistical leadership, as well as building integrated, collaborative systems for data exchange among various entities. The programme emphasised the importance of building trust in government data as a cornerstone for ensuring effective governance.It highlighted the pivotal role of integration and data exchange between institutions, and encouraged the adoption of modern tools and techniques in future planning.This reinforces the concept of leadership empowerment in the field of data, which enables leaders to support national decisions with accurate and reliable information. The intensive six-day programme covered several key themes, including: fundamentals of data and statistics, national statistical system, statistical literacy for executive leaders, data integration and ethics, statistical data management, strategic leadership, and roadmap design.Hessa Ali al-Malki, director of the Statistical and Data Training Centre at NPC, said: “Organising the programme with Qatar Foundation strengthens our partnerships with the country’s leading academic institutions.”QF’s talent management director Sheikha Ghalia al-Thani, said: “This initiative is part of our strategic co-operation with national institutions, reflecting QF’s steadfast commitment to enhancing national capabilities through knowledge exchange and leadership development across various sectors.”