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...
Stocks edged lower as traders waded through mixed data on the world's largest economy ahead of a key inflation reading. Equities halted a seven-day rally that drove the S&P 500 to all-time highs. Treasuries advanced across the curve, while the dollar fell. The US economy expanded at a solid pace in the third quarter, largely powered by a broad-based advance in consumer spending and steady business investment. Gross domestic product increased at a 2.8% annualized pace. Separate figures showed initial jobless claims were...
The Hang Seng soared 444 points or 2.3% to close at 19,603 on Wednesday, gaining for the second day amid mounting optimism about potential supportive policies from China to counter tariff risks. Traders showed increased confidence that the PBoC may further cut RRR in December to spur economic recovery in China, after two reductions totaling 100bps in September and February. A positive lead from Wall Street Tuesday also enhanced risk appetite, ahead of the US PCE index and indications of further interest rate cuts as Fed officials seemed comfortable with the pace of inflation. Meanwhile,...
Japan stocks were lower after the close on Wednesday, as losses in the Shipbuilding, Paper & Pulp and Chemical, Petroleum & Plastic sectors led shares lower. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 declined 0.78%. The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Keisei Electric Railway Co., Ltd. (TYO:9009), which rose 5.02% or 222.00 points to trade at 4,641.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Resonac Holdings Corp (TYO:4004) added 4.08% or 163.00 points to end at 4,155.00 and Kansai Electric Power Co Inc (TYO:9503) was up 3.89% or 71.50 points to 1,907.50 in late trade. The worst...
European equity markets were poised for a subdued open on Wednesday, amid concerns that US President-elect Donald Trump could target European countries with tariffs following his recent threats against China, Mexico, and Canada. Investors were also cautious ahead of a key US inflation report that could influence the Federal Reserve's plans for rate cuts. Meanwhile, market participants will be focused on the latest consumer confidence data from Germany and France, as well as EasyJet's earnings report. In premarket trading, Euro Stoxx 50 futures dropped 0.15%, while Stoxx 600 futures were...
Shares in Hong Kong rose 100 points or 0.5% to 19,260 in early trade on Wednesday following a muted session the day before, mainly supported by gains in property, tech, and consumers. An upbeat session on Wall Street overnight uplifted sentiment, with the Fed's latest minutes being interpreted dovishly ahead of the October PCE index release. Investors were also hopeful that the PBoC would further lower commercial banks' RRR in December to bolster economic recovery in China, following two reductions totaling 100bps in September and February. Limiting the rise was fresh data showing 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,...