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...
Asia-Pacific markets had a sluggish open as investors awaited the extent of the impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs on corporate earnings and economic data expected from Wall Street this week. Market watchers were also closely monitoring developments surrounding trade deal negotiations between the U.S. and countries in the region. Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 started the day 0.38% higher. Over in South Korea, the Kospi index was down 0.13% while the small-cap Kosdaq added 0.43%. Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng index stood at 21,999, pointing to a slightly higher...
U.S. stocks ended mixed on Monday as Wall Street braced for a packed week of big-name earnings and key economic data. The S&P 500 rose about 0.1% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.3%, with both indexes posting their fifth straight session of gains, while the Nasdaq 100 fell 0.1%, weighed down by early losses before a late-session rebound in Big Tech. Investors remain focused on upcoming quarterly results from Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms and Microsoft, as well as signs of how President Trump's sweeping tariffs are affecting the company's outlook. While earnings have largely...
European markets closed higher on Monday, as investors digested a slew of key earnings and data releases in both Europe and the U.S. this week. The Stoxx 600 closed provisionally higher by 0.5%, with travel and banking sectors leading gains. Regionally, the FTSE 100 closed up 0.02% — its 11th straight day of gains and its best gain since late 2019. France's CAC 40 and Germany's DAX rose 0.5% and 0.06%, respectively. Top posts Deliveroo shares jump after DoorDash bid as company suspends share buybacks | see post Mediobanca makes $7.2 billion takeover bid for Banca Generali | see...
The three major averages in the US kickstarted the week in the green with the S&P adding around 0.3%, Dow Jones adding 200 points and the Nasdaq swinging between small gains and losses, amid a confluence of earnings optimism, softer borrowing costs and manageable commodity prices provided support. Anticipation of upside surprises from mega cap tech names—Microsoft, Apple and Amazon are widely expected to report strong top- and bottom-line beats alongside aggressive share-buyback and dividend plans—helped offset lingering trade-war jitters following conflicting U.S. and Chinese...
The Hang Seng finished flat at around 21,981 on Monday, as traders digested a key press briefing in China following Friday's Politburo meeting. Officials promised to support exporters and workers affected by U.S. tariffs while preparing contingency plans for the broader Chinese economy. The muted session followed modest losses in early trade, with strength in financials and tech offsetting weakness in property and consumers, after Beijing refrained from rolling out fresh stimulus, indicating that further actions would be launched as the situation evolves. Meanwhile, U.S. futures 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...
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...