The Hang Seng tumbled 236 points or 1.2% to end at 19,367 on Thursday, marking the first decline in three sessions amid escalating trade disputes between China and the US. The Biden administration reportedly may introduce fresh curbs on sales of semiconductor equipment and AI memory chips to China next week. Meanwhile, US President-elect Trump's trade policies and their potential impacts remain uncertain, with China's state media warning of possibly severe repercussions. In business news, media reports said BYD Co. and other Chinese automakers urged suppliers to cut prices, signaling...
The pan-European Stoxx 600index ended up 0.45%, having slightly pulling back from earlier gains. Banking stocks led the pack, up 0.98%, while household goods were a rare outlier, down 0.67%. France's CAC 40 index rose 0.51%, rebounding from a decline Wednesday even as the country's risk premium drew level with Greece's for the first time amid ongoing political turmoil.Shares of British insurance firm Direct Line jumped 42%, hitting their highest level since early 2023, after it said a takeover offer from rival Aviva "substantially undervalued" the company. The stock ended the day 41%...
The Nikkei 225 Index fell 0.7% to below 38,100, while the broader Topix Index fell 0.4% to 2,677 on Friday, reversing some of the previous session's gains. Investors were reacting to data showing that Tokyo inflation rose above 2% in November, fueling speculation that the Bank of Japan will raise interest rates next month. Markets now price in a 60% chance of a 25 basis point rate hike in December, up from about 50% a week ago. Meanwhile, the latest data on industrial production, retail sales and employment showed signs of slowing economic activity. Technology stocks led the decline, with...