Renewed tensions between the United States and Russia have resurfaced following an incident involving an oil tanker, sparking market concerns about potential disruptions to global energy supplies. Washington's move, associated with tightening oversight and enforcement of sanctions on Russian oil shipments, is viewed by Moscow as provocative and could worsen relations between the two countries. Russia views these actions as an attempt by the United States to suppress Russian energy exports and strengthen its dominance in the global oil market. Meanwhile, Washington argues that these measures...
Asia-Pacific markets opened mostly higher Friday, tracking Wall Street gains as investors shrugged off the U.S. government shutdown. Investors are waiting to see how long the shutdown will last to assess the gravity of its economic repercussions. Historically, government shutdowns in the U.S. have not been market-moving events. Japan's September unemployment rate rose to 2.6%, government data showed Friday, higher than the 2.4% expected by economists polled by Reuters. The latest reading compared with the 2.3% unemployment rate in August. The country's September manufacturing purchasing...
Japanese stocks are expected to move higher on Friday, following Wall Street's record-breaking rally, fueled by OpenAI's latest funding and eye-catching valuations. Nikkei futures on SGX rose 35 points to 45,050, signaling a positive opening. In the currency market, USD/JPY was at 147.14 (vs. 147.26 late Thursday in New York), indicating a relatively stable yen. The stable exchange rate is boosting sentiment in export-oriented stocks. Investors will also be keeping an eye on Saturday's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership election, which could potentially influence domestic...
The Nasdaq marked a record closing high on Thursday with support from the technology sector while the benchmark S&P 500 barely managed to notch a record close as investors cautiously monitored private labor market data in the second day of a U.S. government shutdown. The benchmark index's valuation was around its highest level since 2020, with help from heavyweight technology companies including AI chip leader Nvidia and Broadcom. With no official government data available because of the shutdown, investors were monitoring information from other sources. A report from global...
The S&P 500 rose 0.3% to a fresh record high on Thursday, while the Nasdaq gained 0.6% and the Dow Jones hovered near the flatline. Investors kept a cautious eye on the ongoing US government shutdown, though markets largely shrugged off concerns, awaiting further developments and hoping the stalemate proves short-lived. Technology led sector gains after OpenAI raised $6.6 billion in a share sale valuing the company at $500 billion and announced an agreement with South Korean chipmakers. Industrials, energy and consumer discretionary stocks also advanced, while real estate lagged. Among...
The Hang Seng Index rose for the third day, climbing 1.6%, or 431.56 to 27,287.12 in Hong Kong. The index advanced to the highest closing level in at least a year. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. contributed the most to the index gain, increasing 3.5%. Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. had the largest increase, rising 12.7%. Today, 60 of 88 shares rose, while 25 fell; 3 of 4 sectors were higher, led by commerce and industry stocks. Source: Bloomberg.com
Asian stock markets fell in unison on Thursday, following Wall Street's decline. A brief rally in tech stocks led by Nvidia quickly faded, prompting investors to turn away from riskier assets like...
European stock indices closed marginally lower on Wednesday as equities took a breather from their recent strong momentum, while investors continued to assess the outlook for the ECB's policy this...
The upcoming Supreme Court ruling on the legality of President Donald Trump's massive tariffs, which rocked markets in April, is one of the next major tests for US stocks and bonds.
Equity markets...