The Hang Seng Index reversed its downward trend in Hong Kong on Thursday (February 12th), weakening by around 0.9% to around 27,000 after a strong session earlier. This decline halted the momentum of the short term rally, as investors began to reduce risk in large cap stocks. Among the index's contributors, Tencent was a major drag, with its shares falling by around 2.3%, putting pressure on the technology sector, which has recently been a driving force behind market gains. Weakness in large cap companies like this typically quickly impacts sentiment due to their significant weighting in...
Asia-Pacific markets fell Thursday, tracking Wall Street's declines on concerns about U.S.-China trade relations. Trade fears resurfaced after Reuters reported Wednesday stateside that the Trump administration is considering curbs on exports to China that are made with U.S. software, citing a U.S. official and three people briefed by U.S. authorities. The sources said that the plan, which could cover a wide range of items from laptops to jet engines, might not move forward, however, and that it's not the only option that's being discussed. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index retreated...
Japanese stocks are lower following their recent surge driven by hopes for newly elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's economic measures. The market is also weighed by continuing U.S.-China trade tensions and new U.S. sanctions on Russian oil giants. Chip-related stocks are leading declines. Tokyo Electron Ltd. is down 3.8%, SoftBank Group is 3.2% lower and Renesas Electronics is down 3.6%. USD/JPY is at 152.13, compared with 151.80 as of Wednesday's Tokyo stock market close. Investors are closely watching any details of Takaichi's policy steps. The Nikkei Stock Average is down 1.4% at...
The Dow fell 320 points from yesterday's record close, the S&P 500 fell 0.4%, and the Nasdaq fell 0.9% as markets digested a mix of earnings reports and new trade risks after Reuters reported the White House was considering restrictions on exports to China made with U.S. software. Netflix plunged 10% after its performance was impacted by a tax dispute in Brazil. Tesla fell 1.4% ahead of its earnings report following news that some newly assembled vehicles could experience sudden battery power loss. On the earnings front, TI fell 5.9% on disappointing forecasts, weighing on other...
European stock markets closed mostly lower in Wednesday trading as The Stoxx Europe was off 0.15%, Germany's DAX declined 0.71%, France's CAC lost 0.63%, and the Swiss Market Index was down 0.07%, while the FTSE in London rose 0.93%. Annual inflation in the UK remained unchanged at 3.8% in September, according to the Office for National Statistics, which was below analyst forecasts of 4.0%, according to Bloomberg. Core inflation, which excludes energy, food, alcohol and tobacco, rose by 3.5% annually in September, down from 3.6% in August. Analysts expected core inflation to increase by...
European stocks fell after a sluggish session on Wall Street, weighed down by disappointing results from L'Oréal SA and Hermes International SCA. The Stoxx Europe 600 fell 0.3% as of 8:17 a.m. in London. The technology sector fell 1.2% after Texas Instruments Inc. provided a weaker-than-expected outlook, adding to concerns that the semiconductor industry's recovery is faltering. Meanwhile, mining and energy stocks led gains. Britain's FTSE 100 Index outperformed, rising 0.5%, as easing inflation reinforced expectations that the Bank of England will cut interest rates in the coming months....