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...
The Hang Seng Index opened lower by 87 points or 0.36%, settling at 23,828 points; the H-share index fell by 32 points or 0.37%, reaching 8,576 points; while the technology index dropped by 23 points or 0.45%, closing at 5,192 points. Tech stocks exhibited a general softening trend, with Tencent down by 0.3%, Alibaba by 1%, Meituan by 1.1%, Xiaomi Group by 1%, and Kuaishou up by 0.9%. In the financial sector, stocks trended downwards, with HSBC Holdings showing no change; AIA Group declining by 0.7%; Ping An Insurance falling by 0.4%; and Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing dropping by...
European equities turned red as investors began taking on board the risk of U.S. tariffs being snapped back on again. The Stoxx Europe 600 index fell by 0.5%. Regionally, while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 was flat, France's CAC 40 and Germany's DAX ended 0.8% and 0.6% lower, respectively. The British pound also gave up some of the gains from earlier in the session as one Bank of England official called for a more aggressive schedule of interest rate cuts this year. The head of pan-Scandinavian airline SAS told CNBC that European airline consolidation "needed a second phase," after Air France-KLM...
The Hang Seng lost 154 points or 0.6% to close at 23,916 on Friday, marking the second straight session of losses amid broad-based sector declines. The benchmark dropped 1.5% for the week, reversing gains from the prior period as investors grew cautious ahead of U.S. President Trump's July 9 tariff deadline. Adding pressure, China's commerce ministry finalized its EU brandy investigation, imposing tariffs of up to 34.9% for five years starting July 5. Market participants also eyed key Chinese data due next week—including June CPI and PPI amid lingering deflation risks. U.S. markets were...
Europe's stock markets are in the red across the board at the open, with the regional Stoxx 600 index down 0.4%, the U.K.'s FTSE 100 down 0.32%, Germany's DAX down 0.29% and France's CAC 40 down 0.72%. French drinks sellers are taking an early hit, with Pernod Ricard down 3.3%, Remy Cointreau down 4.5% and luxury giant LVMH down 2.1%, as news breaks that China's commerce ministry has issued a final ruling on its probe into European Union brandy. The investigation ruled that the bloc has engaged in dumping of the spirit, according to a Google translation of a ministry relief. According to...
The Nikkei 225 edged up 0.06% to close at 39,811, while the broader Topix slipped 0.04% to 2,828 on Friday, with both indexes ending the session virtually flat as renewed concerns over US tariff policy dampened investor sentiment. Market caution intensified after President Donald Trump announced plans to begin issuing letters on trade matters, potentially setting unilateral tariff rates. Trump has previously threatened to raise tariffs on Japanese goods by up to 35%, citing dissatisfaction with Japan's limited imports of American rice and automobiles. On the domestic front, household...
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,...