The Hang Seng Index jumped 366 points, or 1.9%, to close at 20,066 on Friday, ending a two-day decline. The recovery followed a recent "cordial" conversation between U.S. President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, in which Trump expressed hope for a trade deal with China. The index jumped 2.5% for the week, marking its second straight gain after Chinese regulators urged insurers and mutual funds to buy more stocks to spur a rapid recovery in mainland stocks. A record close on Thursday in the S&P 500 also lifted sentiment, with Trump expecting lower interest rates as the Fed meets...
Japanese stocks started the week on a positive note but quickly gave up most of their early gains as investors assessed the impact of the Bank of Japan's latest monetary policy decision. On Friday, the BOJ raised interest rates by 25 basis points to 0.5%, marking the highest short-term borrowing costs in 16 years. The central bank also projected inflation to reach its 2% target in the second half of its forecast period, suggesting the possibility of more rate hikes ahead. Investor sentiment soured further following news that US President Donald Trump had imposed tariffs and sanctions on...
Hong Kong's stocks climbed 192 points or nearly 1% to 20,254 around noon on Monday, increasing for the second session and notching their highest level in two weeks as all sectors gained. Traders were upbeat after Bloomberg News reported that the US held off on Colombia tariffs after the South American country agreed to all of President Trump's terms in migrant dispute. A surge of 11% yoy in Chinese industrial profits for December also buoyed sentiment, as it marked the first rise since July even as they recorded the third consecutive year of drop. Limiting further gains was a slump in US...