The Hong Kong Stock Exchange opened lower on Monday, with the Hang Seng briefly dropping to 25,698 before recovering slightly to trade around 25,771 (down 0.79%). Pressure was also seen in the China Enterprise Index, which fell to 8,988 (-1%) and the Technology Index to 5,553 (-1.49%). Transaction value on the main exchange was recorded at around HK$51.9 billion, indicating a relatively active market despite cautious sentiment. This decline was primarily weighed down by major tech stocks: Tencent (-2%), Alibaba (-2.4%), Xiaomi (-1.9%), JD.com (-1.5%), and Kuaishou (-3.1%). Elsewhere,...
The Nikkei 225 index closed down around 1.3% at around 50,100 on Monday (December 15th), dragged down by negative sentiment from Wall Street, which just recorded its worst daily decline in three weeks, particularly in technology and AI stocks. Investors were also still digesting weak Chinese data, including declining investment and sluggish consumption, which has resurfaced concerns about global demand and pressured shares of Japanese exporters. Domestically, the Japanese stock market was also pressured by expectations of a Bank of Japan (BoJ) interest rate hike at its December 18-19...
European stocks opened higher at the start of this week. The Stoxx 600 Index rose around 0.38%, with nearly all sectors and major exchanges trading in the green. The UK's FTSE, Germany's DAX, France's CAC 40, and Italy's FTSE MIB each also rallied at the opening. This increase occurred amid market focus on a series of European central bank decisions in the coming days. This week is a crucial moment for the ECB, Bank of England, Riksbank, and Norges Bank, which will hold their final policy meetings of 2025. The ECB is expected to hold interest rates at 2%, while President Christine Lagarde...