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...
Hong Kong stocks fell 128 points or 0.6% to 21,940 in early Thursday trade, snapping gains in the previous three sessions as investors took profits after the Hang Seng touched a three-week high. US futures also dipped slightly after Wall Street overnight logged strong advances for the second straight day, supported by softer rhetoric from the White House on China tariffs and assurances that President Trump won't seek to remove Fed Chair Powell. Losses were seen across property, consumer, and tech sectors, while financials traded flat as investors awaited the April Politburo meeting for...
The Nikkei 225 Index jumped 0.8% to above 35,100 while the broader Topix Index gained 0.7% to 2,602 on Thursday, with Japanese shares rising for the second straight session and tracking Wall Street higher. The rally followed comments from U.S. President Donald Trump, who signaled a softer stance on China tariffs. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent added that the U.S. and China have a chance to reach a "big deal" on trade. Investors also eyed progress in ongoing trade negotiations between the U.S. and Japan. On the monetary policy front, the Bank of Japan is widely expected to hold its...
Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed Thursday, tracking gains on Wall Street as a possible thaw in U.S.-China trade war fuels investor optimism. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose over 1%, extending the previous day's gains. The Topix added 0.81%. South Korea's Kospi slipped 0.47% while the small-cap Kosdaq dipped 0.15%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.56%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index slipped 0.29% while mainland China's CSI 300 traded flat.South Korea's GDP contracted 0.1% in the first quarter of 2025, according to advance figures released Thursday, missing the 0.1% rise expected by a...
U.S. stocks closed higher on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 up 1.7%, the Nasdaq up 2.5% and the Dow up 419 points, as easing U.S.-China trade tensions and President Trump's assurance that he would not remove Fed Chairman Jerome Powell boosted sentiment. However, all three indexes fell from their highs as investors questioned whether a trade resolution was truly in sight. Treasury Secretary Bessent noted that Trump had not proposed unilateral tariff cuts and that talks with China had not yet begun, dampening early optimism. The remarks followed the president's remarks that tariffs might not...
European stocks closed sharply higher on Wednesday, tracking strong momentum in equity markets around the world after the US administration signaled that tariffs on China were likely to be eased in the near future. The eurozone STOXX 50 closed 2.8% higher at 5,100 and the pan-European STOXX 600 gained 1.8% to close at 517. Remarks opposing the duration of the 145% tariffs on China were made by US President Trump and Finance Minister Bessent, who expressed confidence that there would be no long-term trade embargo during the administration. The signals boosted risk assets around the world,...
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...