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...
The Hang Seng edged up 29 points or 0.1% to finish at 22,692 on Wednesday, aiming for the fifth straight session of gains, mainly helped by strength in property and financial stocks. Investors assessed the PBOC's plan to cut the RRR by 50bps as part of efforts to boost growth and counter trade headwinds. Meanwhile, U.S. futures jumped on bets that the Fed will hold interest rates steady for the third meeting later today, amid easing inflation and a strong labor market. Also in focus, U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent and trade chief Greer are set to meet with China's top economic officials in...
European stocks fell on Wednesday, with the STOXX 50 down 0.2% and the STOXX 600 down 0.3%, as investors remained cautious ahead of the Federal Reserve's monetary policy decision later in the day. The central bank is widely expected to keep the federal funds rate unchanged, but all eyes will be on clues about the future path of monetary policy. Meanwhile, traders also digested a fresh batch of corporate earnings, while news that the U.S. and China will hold trade talks this week in Geneva did little to boost investor confidence. On the earnings front, Novo Nordisk shares rose more than 3%...
Japanese stocks were down after the close on Wednesday (07/05), as losses in the Paper & Pulp, Transportation and Communications sectors led shares lower. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 was down 0.20%. The best performers on the Nikkei 225 were Marubeni Corp. (TYO:8002), which rose 6.39% or 162.00 points to trade at 2,698.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Japan Airlines Co Ltd (TYO:9201) gained 5.25% or 138.00 points to close at 2,767.50 and Sompo Holdings Inc (TYO:8630) gained 4.75% or 215.00 points to 4,745.00 in late trade. The worst performers on the session were Eisai Co., Ltd....
Hong Kong markets jumped more than 2% to lead gains in Asia-Pacific after China's central bank and financial regulator announced sweeping plans to cut benchmark interest rates in a bid to shore up growth amid trade concerns. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 2.07%. Elsewhere, markets in the region were mostly higher after reports that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and trade representative Jamieson Greer will meet their Chinese counterparts this week. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.22% while the Topix gained 0.38%. South Korea's Kospi gained 0.32% while the small-cap Kosdaq...
The Nikkei 225 and Topix indexes rose on Wednesday, with Japanese shares holding near a one-month high as optimism over potential US-China trade talks lifted market sentiment. Reports that senior US officials will meet with their Chinese counterparts in Switzerland this week fueled hopes for easing tensions, supporting gains across global markets. Investors are also monitoring developments in ongoing bilateral US-Japan trade talks, with Tokyo aiming to finalize a deal by June. Adding to the positive tone, Japan's services PMI for April was revised up, showing the strongest increase in new...
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...