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 Nikkei 225 Index dropped 1.3% to below 37,500 while the broader Topix Index lost 0.9% to 2,777 on Monday, declining for the second consecutive session as renewed tariff threats from US President Donald Trump rattled markets. Market jitters were triggered by Trump's announcement of plans to double tariffs on steel imports to 50%, effective June 4. The news weighed heavily on Japanese steelmakers, with JFE Holdings and Kobe Steel dropping 1.8% and 1.0%, respectively. Nippon Steel slipped 0.5%, cushioned somewhat by Trump's praise of its proposed merger with US Steel. Losses extended...
U.S. stocks fluctuated on Friday, ending a volatile but strong May as investors weighed fresh trade tensions with China and cooling inflation data. The S&P 500 ended nearly flat after falling more than 1% intraday, while the Nasdaq fell 0.4% and the Dow rose 107 points. The market swings were triggered after President Trump accused China of violating their latest trade deal, with reports further pressuring that the administration plans to expand technology restrictions targeting Chinese companies. Trade talks appeared to have stalled, and legal uncertainty surrounding Trump's tariff...
Both the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 closed near the flatline on Friday (5/30) but rose more than 3.5% in May, marking their strongest monthly performance since January. The rally was led by the oil & gas, health care and utilities sectors. Investors digested the latest inflation data from the euro zone's largest economies, with CPI figures showing a decline in inflation in Germany, Italy and Spain, potentially giving the ECB more room to cut borrowing costs at its next meeting next week. At the same time, rising uncertainty over the ongoing U.S. trade dispute kept further gains at bay. A...
Wall Street's main indexes opened lower on Friday as trade worries deepened after U.S. President Donald Trump accused China of violating a tariff agreement, while investors assessed the latest inflation data. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI), opens new tab fell 23.4 points, or 0.06%, at the open to 42,192.35. The S&P 500 (.SPX), opens new tab fell 8.5 points, or 0.14%, at the open to 5,903.67, while the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC), opens new tab dropped 44.7 points, or 0.23%, to 19,131.219 at the opening bell. Source: Reuters
The Hang Seng slipped 284 points or 1.2% to finish at 23,290 on Friday, pulling back from a strong session the day before. The tumble followed a U.S. federal court's decision to temporarily reinstate tariffs imposed by President Trump, reversing an earlier trade court ruling that had blocked them. At the same time, China's official May PMI, due over the weekend, kept markets cautious amid concerns over fragile factory activity. Meantime, U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent said that trade talks with China were "a bit stalled" and may require a direct push from Trump and Xi. Most sectors fell,...
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,...