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...
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he plans to hold talks about the war in Ukraine in coming days after his Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in August failed to achieve a breakthrough. Trump has been frustrated at his inability to get a halt to the fighting, which began with Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, after he initially predicted he would be able to end the war swiftly when he took office last January. Trump said he would be holding talks in the next few days. A White House official said Trump is expected to speak on the phone on Thursday...
European shares ended higher on Wednesday, stabilising as investors assessed fiscal challenges after a selloff in longer-dated bonds had sparked risk-off sentiment in the previous session. The continent-wide STOXX 600 index closed 0.65% higher at 546.72 points, boosted by healthcare stocks such as Roche Holdings and AstraZeneca. Basic resources also extended support by rising 1.5%, influenced by a jump in copper prices on growing expectations of a U.S. interest rate cut later in the month. The day's moves follow the STOXX 600's biggest one-day loss in a month on Tuesday, driven by a...
A rally in the world's largest tech companies drove stocks higher as bonds rebounded after weak jobs data validated wagers the Federal Reserve will resume cutting rates in September. Equities extended gains and bond yields fell after data showed US job openings fell in July to the lowest in 10 months, reinforcing bets on at least two Fed reductions in 2025. Following a two-day slide, the S&P 500 also gained amid a court victory for Big Tech that saw Alphabet Inc. surging 8% as Google dodged a sale of its Chrome web...
The Hang Seng Index fell 153 points, or 0.6%, to close at 25,343 on Wednesday (September 3), weakening for a second day as global equities weakened on growing concerns over fiscal pressures worldwide. Meanwhile, Dow Jones futures were seen weakening, pressured by a sixth consecutive monthly decline in the US manufacturing sector. Adding to the uncertainty, a divided US appeals court ruled most of President Trump's tariffs illegal, though the measures will remain in place until October 14 pending a possible appeal to the Supreme Court. All sectors traded in the red after a military parade in...
European stocks traded higher on Wednesday, with the STOXX 50 up 0.7% and the STOXX 600 gaining 0.4%, rebounding after a 1.4% drop in the previous session. On Tuesday, equities retreated as concerns over debt sustainability in major economies pushed bond yields sharply higher, with the UK market under the greatest strain. Large-cap stocks mostly advanced, led by SAP (+1.6%), LVMH (+1.5%), ASML Holding (+2.1%), Hermès International (+0.5%) and Novartis (+0.5%). In contrast, Swiss Life fell about 2% after reporting a weaker first-half net profit, while M&G slipped 2.5% after posting a...
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,...