If it just seems like the first Friday of the month wasn't the same without being able to pore through the Bureau of Labor Statistics' hotly watched monthly jobs report, don't worry. You probably didn't miss much. While the BLS has gone dark with the shutdown in Washington, other reports outside the government data suggest the labor market just plodded along in September. The Dow Jones consensus forecast was for growth of 51,000 in nonfarm payrolls with the unemployment rate holding steady at 4.3%. High-frequency data that includes job postings, private payrolls and state-by-state figures...
European stocks closed mostly higher to extend the positive momentum this week on strength in healthcare and luxury brands. The Eurozone's STOXX 50 inched higher to 5,651 and the pan-European STOXX 600 rose 0.5% to 570, both at record highs. Sanofi, Novo Nordisk, Merck, and UCB rose more than 2%, extending their surge this week after the US Presidential Administration signaled that tariffs on pharmaceutical goods may be less aggressive than feared, while allowing patients to buy discounted prescription drugs through a new federal website. Luxury giants were also higher as markets assessed...
Wall Street's main indexes opened higher on Friday as optimism about an imminent interest-rate cut by the Federal Reserve boosted sentiment in the final trading session of a week that saw volatility due to the U.S. government shutdown. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI), opens new tab rose 64.2 points, or 0.14%, at the open to 46,583.95. The S&P 500 (.SPX), opens new tab rose 6.8 points, or 0.10%, at the open to 6,722.14, while the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC), opens new tab rose 42.1 points, or 0.18%, to 22,886.157. Source: Reuters.com
The Hang Seng Index weakened 146 points, or 0.5%, to close at 27,141 on Friday (October 3), retreating from a four-year high after three sessions of gains, as traders took profits following five consecutive months of gains since May. Sentiment was also impacted by concerns over the US government shutdown, which has halted much official activity, including the jobs report originally due today, with markets bracing for a shutdown that could last until next week. Trading was also sluggish as mainland Chinese markets remain closed until October 8. The decline was broad-based, with technology...
European stocks extended gains on Friday, with the STOXX 50 up 0.4% and the STOXX 600 rising 0.3% to fresh record highs, as optimism around artificial intelligence continued to buoy global investor sentiment. Momentum was further supported by news of fresh industry alliances - Hitachi teaming up with OpenAI and Fujitsu partnering with Nvidia. At the same time, investors monitored developments around the US federal government shutdown, though its market impact has so far remained limited. Among sectors, basic resources, banks, autos, and financial services led the gains, while technology...
Asia-Pacific markets traded higher, tracking Wall Street gains overnight.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.41% after hitting a fresh record high on Thursday, while the Topix added 0.61%. South...
Both the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 hovered around the flatline on Friday, as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of further developments in trade talks between US President Trump and Chinese...
The U.S. government shut down much of its operations on Wednesday as deep partisan divisions prevented Congress and the White House from reaching a funding deal, setting off what could be a long,...