The dollar continued its strengthening for a second day, pressuring all G-10 currencies; the Japanese yen slumped for a fourth session to its weakest level since March before paring losses. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose about 0.6% in two days. USD/JPY strengthened 0.4% to 150.89. It reached its Tuesday session high of 151.03, a level last seen on March 28. Further gains in the pair would put the March high of 151.30 in sight. EUR/USD fell 0.4% to 1.167, falling for the fourth time in five days. GBP/USD fell 0.6% to 1.3407 after two days of gains. USD/CAD rose 0.1% to 1.3955. US...
European stocks closed flat on Wednesday to hold a near two-month high hit in the previous session, as a lack of fresh catalysts maintained the prospect that higher government spending in Europe would boost investment among corporate giants. The STOXX 50 closed flat at 5,455 and the pan-European STOXX 600 was flat at 554. Technology stocks led gains in the session, with Infineon jumping 2.5% after announcing a collaboration with Nvidia to develop a new power delivery architecture for data centers. Deutsche Telekom, Nokia, ASML and technology holding company Prosus also closed higher. On...
US stocks were lower on Wednesday, with both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq falling 0.5% and the Dow Jones losing more than 300 points, extending losses from the previous session. Investor sentiment weakened amid growing concerns over the US fiscal outlook, with lawmakers discussing President Trump's tax-and-spending bill that will likely increase the budget deficits by nearly $3 billion over a decade. Frustration is also mounting over the lack of progress in trade negotiations. Consumer discretionary was by far the worst performing sector while communication services manged to stay in the...
The Hang Seng rose 146 points or 0.6% to finish at 23,828 on Wednesday, marking its second straight session of gains and reaching its highest level since late March. All sectors advanced, led by consumer, tech, and property stocks. Market sentiment was buoyed by a positive call from Morgan Stanley, which raised its targets for Chinese stock indexes, citing structural improvements and progress on tariffs and earnings. However, further upside was limited by a sharp drop in U.S. futures following Wall Street's recent rally. Also, Morgan Stanley warned that deflation risks in China may...
Both the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 slipped 0.2% on Wednesday, retreating from nearly two-month highs reached the previous day, as traders awaited new catalysts amid concerns over stalled trade talks, weak economic data, and corporate earnings. Markets are closely watching the ongoing G7 finance ministers' meeting for any signals that a weaker dollar could support progress in trade negotiations. In the UK, inflation rose to 3.5%, prompting investors to scale back expectations for Bank of England rate cuts. On the corporate front, JD Sports shares plunged over 7% after reporting a 2% drop in...
The Nikkei 225 fell 214 points or 0.6% to close at 37,315 on Wednesday, following small gains in the previous session. Meanwhile, the broader Topix index slipped 0.3%, giving up early gains. These declines followed fresh trade data showing Japan's exports grew at the slowest pace in seven months in April, as rising U.S. tariffs began to weigh. Exports to the U.S. fell for the first time in four months, driven by weaker demand for automobiles, steel, and ships. According to the Nikkei newspaper, lead trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa is set to visit the U.S. on Friday for a third round of...
Hong Kong stocks rose 124 points or 0.5% to a seven-week high of 23,806 in early trade Wednesday, extending gains from the previous session as most sectors advanced. Sentiment continued to be supported by China's central bank cutting key lending rates for the first time in seven months to support growth and ease trade-related risks. Major state banks in the mainland also lowered deposit rates to relieve pressure from narrowing interest margins. However, gains were somewhat limited by a rise in the city's jobless rate to 3.4% in the three months ending April its highest in over two years...
The Nikkei 225 slipped 76 points or 0.2% to 37,454 in Wednesday's morning session, retreating from a modest gain the previous day as investors digested Japan's latest trade figures. Exports rose 2.0% year-on-year in April, marking the slowest growth in seven months amid mounting pressure from rising U.S. tariffs. Meanwhile, imports fell less than expected, reflecting Tokyo's efforts to support domestic demand in the face of trade uncertainty. Japan's chief trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, reaffirmed the country's demand for the removal of U.S. tariffs, with the third round of trade talks...
Asia-Pacific markets traded mostly higher Wednesday after Wall Street halted its six-day win streak. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped 0.23% after the country reported that exports slowed for a second straight month as the country reels under U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs. South Korea's Kospi limbed 0.58% while the small-cap Kosdaq traded 0.95% higher. Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 climbed 0.43%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 0.45% at the open, while mainland China's CSI 300 traded flat. The Bank of Indonesia is also slated to release its policy decision...
Gold rises in the early Asian trade. There's a broad commodities uptrend, driven by macro uncertainty, a weaker dollar, and persistent demand for "hard" assets, says Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst...
Oil extended declines after OPEC+ agreed to a bigger-than-expected production increase next month, raising concerns about oversupply just as US tariffs fan fears about the demand outlook.
Brent...
The Japanese Yen (JPY) weakened against its US counterpart and reversed part of Friday's recovery from the lowest level since July 23 following Bank of Japan (BOJ) Governor Kazuo Ueda's remarks....