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 fell 114 points, or 0.5%, to close at 23,793 on Friday, snapping a three-day winning streak and retreating from a two-week high reached the previous day, primarily dragged down by losses in the tech sector. Traders remained cautious amid continued uncertainty over US-China trade talks, after a recent call between Washington and Beijing offered little clarity on easing tensions. The Hang Seng also tracked a downbeat session on Wall Street overnight, pressured by a dispute between Donald Trump and Elon Musk, along with renewed concerns over US-China trade relations....
Hong Kong stocks fell on Friday, snapping a three-day gain, after talks between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping failed to produce a breakthrough on ending the tariff dispute. The Hang Seng Index eased 0.4 per cent to 23,823.89 at 10.10am local time, trimming the week's advance to 2.3 per cent. The Hang Seng Tech Index dropped 0.6 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index and the Shanghai Composite Index both retreated 0.1 per cent. Chinese electric-vehicle maker Li Auto lost 2.4 per cent to HK$114 and China Mobile retreated 2.2 per cent to HK$87.25....
The Nikkei 225 Index rose 0.4% to above 37,600 while the broader Topix Index gained 0.4% to 2,767 on Friday, reversing losses from the previous session as the recent phone call between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping lifted market sentiment. The two leaders agreed to resume trade negotiations aimed at ending the ongoing trade war. In Japan, data showed that household spending unexpectedly declined in April, reflecting the impact of rising prices on consumer demand. The softer spending figures add to the growing list of considerations for the Bank of Japan as it...
Wall Street closed lower on Thursday as investors grappled with a public feud between President Trump and Elon Musk, fresh U.S.-China trade uncertainty and growing signs of a weakening labor market. The S&P 500 fell 0.5%, the Dow dropped 107 points and the tech-heavy Nasdaq dropped 0.8%, dragged down by Tesla's sharp losses. Tesla shares plunged 14.3% after Trump criticized Musk for his opposition to a sweeping tax and spending bill, suggesting he might strip Musk's companies of government contracts and subsidies. Earlier optimism from a phone call between Trump and Chinese President Xi...
European stocks rose on Thursday after the ECB cut interest rates for the eighth time in a year. The ECB lowered borrowing costs by 25 basis points and revised down its inflation forecasts for 2025 and 2026. While the rate cut was largely priced in, the sharper-than-expected downward revision to the 2026 inflation outlook caught some market participants by surprise. ECB President Lagarde acknowledged that the inflation outlook remains more uncertain than usual. Also supporting sentiment was news of a phone call between U.S. President Trump and Chinese President Xi, which indicated progress...
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,...