Gold prices hit fresh all-time peaks on Monday but stocks on Wall Street eased from near-record highs, with optimism that the Federal Reserve was close to cutting interest rates fading as a strong U.S. economy negates the necessity of cuts anytime soon. Chinese shares led a rally around most of Asia overnight amid a broadly optimistic global economic backdrop, while Japanese shares tumbled with the yen pinned near levels that kept traders on guard for a currency intervention. The dollar rose after data showed the U.S. manufacturing sector grew in March for the first time since September 2022, while the yen loitered ... (full story)