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...
Japanese stocks are higher thanks to a weaker yen and gains in U.S. shares on Wall Street on Friday. Electronics and videogame stocks are leading the gains. Renesas Electronics is up 3.6% and Nintendo is 3.2% higher. USD/JPY is at 148.18, up from 147.69 as of Friday's Tokyo stock market close. Investors are closely watching any developments related to the leadership election for the ruling Libe. Source: Bloomberg
US stocks closed at new highs on Friday (September 19), continuing their record-breaking rally from the previous session as investors digested upbeat corporate earnings reports, the Fed's first interest rate cut in 2025, and signs of progress in US-China relations. The S&P 500 rose 0.5%, surpassing the 6,600 level, the Nasdaq 100 gained 0.7%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 172 points, surpassing the 46,300 level for the first time. FedEx jumped 2.3% after reporting better-than-expected results, while Apple jumped 3.2% on a J.P. Morgan price target increase and the launch of...
European stocks closed slightly higher on Friday (September 19th) as strength in the heavyweight financial sector offset mixed movements elsewhere, while markets continued to assess key monetary policy decisions for the week. The Eurozone STOXX 50 rose 0.2% to 5,467, and the pan-European STOXX 600 was flat at 555. The Bank of Japan kept interest rates unchanged as expected but surprised markets by announcing plans to begin unwinding its massive holdings of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Traders also monitored a phone call between U.S. and Chinese Presidents Trump and Xi, with both leaders...
US equities were higher on Friday, extending momentum after the three major benchmarks notched fresh record closes in the previous session. For the week, the S&P 500 and Dow Jones are each up 0.7%, while the Nasdaq has gained 1.5% so far, supported by the Fed's first rate cut of the year and expectations of further easing in 2025. Traders also monitored a call between President Trump and President Xi for potential updates on trade negotiations. Meanwhile, a $5 trillion quarterly triple-witching options expiry takes place today, although volatility is expected to remain limited. Consumer...
The Hang Seng ended flat at 26,545 on Friday, as gains in tech and consumer stocks offset losses in financials and property. The index reversed early gains ahead of talks between China's leader Xi Jinping and U.S. President Trump today. Meanwhile, traders digested news that developer DeepSeek trained its new model with costs well below those reported by U.S. rivals. On the mainland, stocks dropped further after the PBoC signaled no urgency to ease policy despite weak August output. Meantime, U.S. futures were subdued after Thursday's Fed-driven rally amid a shift toward an easing...
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,...