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...
Stocks rose on Thursday after strong quarterly results from two Big Tech players eased concerns that advances in artificial intelligence would slow amid economic turmoil. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 83 points, or 0.2%. The S&P 500 gained 0.6%, near its level before President Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" tariff announcement in early April. The Nasdaq Composite rose more than 1%. Investor concerns that Trump's tariffs and a U.S. economic downturn would threaten AI trading eased after Meta Platforms posted stronger-than-expected first-quarter revenue, with Meta Chief...
Wall Street opened May on a strong note, with the S&P 500 rising 0.8%, the Dow Jones gaining 100 points, and the Nasdaq advancing 1.4%, supported by upbeat earnings from tech giants and optimism over global trade negotiations. Microsoft shares jumped 10% after the company projected stronger-than-expected growth for its Azure cloud business, while Meta gained over 6% on better-than-expected revenue. Meanwhile, General Motors climbed 1.5% after issuing a new 2025 profit forecast, while Eli Lilly lost 6% after its quarterly results and McDonald's slipped 2% following a decline in Q1...
The Nikkei 225 Index surged 1.13% to 36,452, while the broader Topix Index rose 0.46% to 2,679 on Thursday, with Japanese equities hitting a one-month high after the Bank of Japan kept its policy rate unchanged at 0.5%, as expected. Investor sentiment was further boosted by a dovish tilt in the BOJ's outlook, as the central bank cut its growth and inflation forecasts, signaling a lower likelihood of near-term rate hikes. The BOJ now projects GDP growth of 0.5% in 2025, down from 1% in its January forecast. Markets also welcomed renewed optimism over US-Japan trade talks, after President...
The Nikkei 225 Index climbed 0.5% on Thursday to surpass 36,200, reaching a one-month high as investors looked ahead to the Bank of Japan's latest monetary policy decision. The central bank is widely expected to keep its policy rate steady at 0.5%, as it assesses the possible effects of newly imposed US tariffs on Japan's export-reliant economy. Japanese shares also took cues from a positive lead on Wall Street , where investors brushed aside recession concerns after the US economy unexpectedly contracted in the first quarter. Adding to market optimism, hopes for progress in US-Japan trade...
The Nikkei 225 index rose 0.5% on Thursday to surpass 36,200, hitting a one-month high as investors awaited the Bank of Japan's latest monetary policy decision. The central bank is widely expected to keep its policy interest rate unchanged at 0.5%, as it assesses the likely impact of new U.S. tariffs on Japan's export-dependent economy. Japanese stocks also took cues from the upbeat outlook on Wall Street, where investors brushed aside recession fears after the U.S. economy unexpectedly contracted in the first quarter. Adding to market optimism, hopes for progress in U.S.-Japan trade talks...
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...