The White House is tightening its pressure on Democratic lawmakers as the U.S. government shutdown enters its second week, saying it will give them another chance to agree on a spending bill before beginning mass layoffs of federal employees. With the Senate scheduled to vote Monday night for the fifth time on a stopgap bill to keep the government operating until November 21, Kevin Hassett, President Donald Trump's top economic adviser, argued that it's time for Democrats to be "reasonable." Trump has said he will use the government shutdown to lay off thousands more federal employees, who...
European equity indices edged higher Tuesday, boosted by a Chinese rate cut as well as the possibility of peace talks to end the Ukraine conflict. At 03:05 ET (07:05 GMT), the DAX index in Germany climbed 0.2%, the CAC 40 in France gained 0.2% and the FTSE 100 in the U.K. rose 0.3%.European stock indices have received a solid lead in from gains in Asia overnight, boosted by the decision of the People's Bank of China to cut its benchmark loan prime rate, bringing the rate further into record low territory. The cut signaled that Beijing was open to doling out more monetary stimulus to...
The Nikkei 225 edged up 0.1% to close at 37,529 on Tuesday, following notable losses in the previous session. Investor sentiment was supported by comments from Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who emphasized Japan's commitment to national interests in trade talks, saying Tokyo would not rush a deal with the U.S. ahead of a third round of negotiations this week. Gains were also underpinned by Chinese rate cuts, with the PBoC lowering lending rates to new lows for the first time in seven months to support the sluggish economy. However, early gains were trimmed as U.S. futures dipped slightly,...
(Hong Kong) The Hang Seng Index opened with a gain of 65 points, or 0.28%, to stand at 23,398 on Monday. The China Enterprises Index rose 26 points, or 0.3%, to 8,486, while the Hang Seng Tech Index climbed 11 points, or 0.22%, to 5,266, reflecting mixed performance across technology stocks. Among tech giants, Tencent slipped 0.2%, while Alibaba advanced 0.6%. Meituan declined by 1.1%, but Xiaomi gained 1.2%, JD.com rose 0.2%, and Kuaishou improved by 0.5%. Financial stocks also showed a mixed trend, with HSBC rising 0.3%, AIA slipping 0.6%, Ping An Insurance advancing 0.7%, and Hong Kong...
The Nikkei 225 jumped 329 points or 0.9%, to 37,830 in early Tuesday trade, recovering from the prior day's weakness. The rally followed a modest rise in U.S. futures after the S&P 500 eked out a gain despite Moody's downgrade of the U.S. credit outlook. The broader Topix index also climbed, extending recent gains. Investors kept a close watch on ongoing U.S.-Japan trade talks, hoping for a finalized deal by June. On the corporate front, Reuters said that Nippon Steel plans to invest $14 billion in U.S. Steel's operations. Gains were tempered by caution ahead of Japan's upcoming April...
US stocks pared early losses on Monday, with the S&P 500 ending 0.1% higher after falling 1.1%, as Treasury yields retreated from their highs. The Dow rose 137 points, while the Nasdaq edged higher, as markets digested a Moody's downgrade of the US credit rating to Aa1, citing rising deficits and refinancing risks. The downgrade pushed the 10-year yield near 4.5% and the 30-year above 5%, levels that have previously weighed on equities. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent downplayed the move and urged trading partners to engage during a 90-day tariff pause. President Trump has continued to...
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...
Hamas officials were in Egypt on Monday (October 6th) ahead of talks with Israel that the US hopes will lead to an end to the war in Gaza and the release of hostages, despite contentious issues such...