White House economic advisers on Sunday defended President Donald Trump's firing of the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, dismissing criticism that Trump's actions could undermine confidence in official U.S. economic data. On Sunday, Trump again criticized BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, without providing evidence of wrongdoing, and said he would appoint a new BLS commissioner in the next three or four days. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told CBS that Trump has "real concerns" about the BLS data, while Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, said the...
Japanese stocks fell in tense trading after U.S. President Donald Trump said tariff letters would begin to be sent out at noon Monday. Trump also said he would impose an additional 10% tariff on any country that aligns with the "anti-American BRICS policies." The Topix index fell 0.6% to 2,811.72 at the close in Tokyo. The Nikkei fell 0.6% to 39,587.68. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. was the biggest contributor to the Topix decline, down 2.3%. Exporters including electrical equipment and transportation equipment fell, while financials also fell amid economic uncertainty. Japan's...
The Hang Seng Index opened lower by 87 points or 0.36%, settling at 23,828 points; the H-share index fell by 32 points or 0.37%, reaching 8,576 points; while the technology index dropped by 23 points or 0.45%, closing at 5,192 points. Tech stocks exhibited a general softening trend, with Tencent down by 0.3%, Alibaba by 1%, Meituan by 1.1%, Xiaomi Group by 1%, and Kuaishou up by 0.9%. In the financial sector, stocks trended downwards, with HSBC Holdings showing no change; AIA Group declining by 0.7%; Ping An Insurance falling by 0.4%; and Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing dropping by...
European equities turned red as investors began taking on board the risk of U.S. tariffs being snapped back on again. The Stoxx Europe 600 index fell by 0.5%. Regionally, while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 was flat, France's CAC 40 and Germany's DAX ended 0.8% and 0.6% lower, respectively. The British pound also gave up some of the gains from earlier in the session as one Bank of England official called for a more aggressive schedule of interest rate cuts this year. The head of pan-Scandinavian airline SAS told CNBC that European airline consolidation "needed a second phase," after Air France-KLM...
The Hang Seng lost 154 points or 0.6% to close at 23,916 on Friday, marking the second straight session of losses amid broad-based sector declines. The benchmark dropped 1.5% for the week, reversing gains from the prior period as investors grew cautious ahead of U.S. President Trump's July 9 tariff deadline. Adding pressure, China's commerce ministry finalized its EU brandy investigation, imposing tariffs of up to 34.9% for five years starting July 5. Market participants also eyed key Chinese data due next week—including June CPI and PPI amid lingering deflation risks. U.S. markets were...
Europe's stock markets are in the red across the board at the open, with the regional Stoxx 600 index down 0.4%, the U.K.'s FTSE 100 down 0.32%, Germany's DAX down 0.29% and France's CAC 40 down 0.72%. French drinks sellers are taking an early hit, with Pernod Ricard down 3.3%, Remy Cointreau down 4.5% and luxury giant LVMH down 2.1%, as news breaks that China's commerce ministry has issued a final ruling on its probe into European Union brandy. The investigation ruled that the bloc has engaged in dumping of the spirit, according to a Google translation of a ministry relief. According to...
China's official NBS Manufacturing PMI increased to 49.7 in June 2025 from May's 49.5, matching market expectations while marking the third consecutive month of contraction in factory activity.
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Both the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 hovered around the flatline on Friday, as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of further developments in trade talks between US President Trump and Chinese...
The U.S. will levy a 30% tariff on South African exports next week, after Pretoria failed to reach a trade deal before President Donald Trump's deadline. The new rate is part of a broader executive...