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...
Hong Kong shares fell 94 points, or 0.4%, to 23,431 in early trading on Monday, reversing gains from the previous session amid a sharp decline in U.S. stock futures as tensions in the Middle East escalated. The U.S. State Department issued a "global caution" warning after Tehran vowed retaliation in response to President Donald Trump's attack on an Iranian nuclear power site. Investors were also cautious as they digested China's FDI data, which showed a 13.2% year-on-year decline in the first five months of the year, despite a surge in high-tech investment. (alg) Source: Trading Economics
The Nikkei 225 fell 0.7% to below 38,200, while the broader Topix index dropped 0.8% to 2,750 on Monday, marking a third straight session of losses for Japanese equities. The selloff followed US airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend, a major escalation in the Middle East as the US joins Israel in its conflict with Iran. Markets are now on edge, awaiting Tehran's response amid concerns about wider regional instability and higher oil prices. On the domestic front, data showed that Japanese manufacturing activity returned to growth in June for the first time since May...
Asia-Pacific markets plunged on Monday after a US strike on three nuclear sites in Iran lifted oil prices and investors worried about an escalation in the Middle East conflict. Oil prices have surged in recent weeks amid rising tensions in the Middle East. Brent crude was trading at $78.66 a barrel, after jumping 2.14%, as of 9:43 a.m. Singapore time, while West Texas Intermediate crude was up 2.23% at $75.47. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 0.56%, while the broader Topix index dropped 0.49%. In South Korea, the Kospi index fell 1.05%, while the small-cap Kosdaq index dropped...
US stocks were higher on Friday after Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said that the FOMC could cut interest rates next week, while investors continued to assess geopolitical risks. The three main stock indices were firmly in the green, enough to erase losses from earlier in the week. Waller noted that he doesn't expect tariffs to have a significant inflationary effect and favored the evidence of disinflation for the argument against higher rates, supporting equities on all sectors. IN the meantime, President Trump stated that the decision to strike Iran would take up to two...
Hong Kong stocks ended the week in positive territory after three straight sessions of losses, as investors welcomed policy stability after both the People's Bank of China and the city's de facto central bank held key interest rates steady. The Hang Seng Index climbed 292.74 points, or 1.3%, to close Friday's session at 23,530.48, while the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index rose 116.13 points, or 1.4%, to 8,527.07. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority kept the base rate unchanged at 4.75%, mirroring the US Federal Reserve's decision to maintain its rate target at between 4.25% to 4.5%. As...
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,...