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 continued their gains for a third consecutive session on Wednesday, with the STOXX 50 rising 0.4% and the STOXX 600 up 0.2%, as corporate earnings continued to dominate market sentiment. Siemens Energy rose 1.8% after reporting record quarterly order intake, while Fresenius edged up 0.2% following an improved revenue outlook. Zalando rose 1.7% after raising its full-year forecast, and Banco BPM rose 1.4% after beating net profit expectations. On the downside, Novo Nordisk shares were little changed despite its operating profit rising below expectations. Glencore fell 3.7%...
The Nikkei 225 rose 0.6% to close at 40,795 on Wednesday (August 6th), while the broader Topix Index gained 1.02% to 2,967, marking a second straight day of gains for Japanese equities. Investors shrugged off weak gains on Wall Street, where stagflation concerns were rekindled by weak US economic data. The market also shrugged off new tariff threats from President Donald Trump, who warned of duties of up to 250% on pharmaceutical imports and potential levies on semiconductors. Domestically, data showed Japanese real wages fell for the sixth consecutive month in June, as inflation continued...
Hong Kong stocks fell 50 points, or 0.2%, to 24,851 in Wednesday morning trading, ending a two-day winning streak amid weakness in the technology, consumer discretionary, and financial sectors. Sentiment worsened after Wall Street closed lower overnight, as weak US data underscored the economic impact of tariffs on activity and earnings. Risk appetite was further dented by reports that two Chinese nationals were arrested in California for allegedly smuggling AI chips, including the Nvidia H100, to China. Caution also grew ahead of China's July trade data and inflation report, with lingering...
Japanese stocks opened lower on Wednesday (August 6th), following a decline in the US market after weak US services sector data sparked uncertainty over the Federal Reserve's policy direction. The Nikkei 225 index fell 119.08 points, or 0.3%, to 40,430.46 in early trading. Meanwhile, recent data showed Japanese workers recorded the fastest nominal wage growth in four months, reinforcing expectations that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) may soon raise interest rates. Government data showed nominal wages rose 2.5% year-on-year in June, a sharp increase from a revised 1.4% in May. The market is also...
US equities ended lower on Tuesday as investors grappled with downbeat economic data, rising trade tensions, and mixed corporate earnings. The S&P 500 dropped 0.5%, the Nasdaq slid 0.7%, and the Dow slipped by 62 points, following Monday's sharp rebound from Friday's losses tied to a disappointing jobs report. Concerns about stagflation resurfaced after the ISM Services index showed activity had stalled in July. Meanwhile, President Trump's threats of steep tariffs up to 250% on pharmaceutical imports alongside potential levies on semiconductors, added to market unease amid ongoing...
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,...