US consumer sentiment fell to 58.6 in August from 61.7—the first decline since April. The University of Michigan survey was conducted July 29–August 11, with tariff concerns again weighing on confidence. Full-year inflation expectations rose to 4.9%, while the 5–10-year forecast was 3.9%. Both were worse than economists' forecasts. Job concerns also increased: 62% of respondents predicted unemployment would rise. 58% planned to cut back on spending (cars, household goods, dining out), and durable goods purchasing conditions fell to their lowest in a year. Meanwhile, retail sales continued...
Stocks rallied Friday to kick off November as Amazon led big technology stocks into the green and traders looked past a disappointing jobs report. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 288.73 points, or 0.69%, ending at 42,052.19. The S&P 500 advanced 0.41% to close at 5,728.80, and the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.8% to 18,239.92. Amazon rallied 6.2% as strength in the cloud and advertising businesses propelled the ecommerce giant above Wall Street's earnings expectations. Intel popped 7.8% after exceeding analysts' forecasts for revenue and offering strong guidance. The two stocks...
The European stock markets closed out a rough week sharply higher in Friday trading as The Stoxx Europe climbed 1.31%, the Swiss Market Index surged 1.63%, France's CAC rose 1.09%, the FTSE in London gained 1.07%, and Germany's DAX closed 1.10% higher. In the UK, the seasonally adjusted S&P Global UK Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index fell to 49.9 in October from 51.5 in September, slipping into contraction territory for the first time since April. S&P attributed the decline in large part to a lack of consumer confidence and an economic slowdown. Meanwhile, UK house prices...
Stocks climbed Friday to kick off November as Amazon led big technology stocks into the green and traders looked past a disappointing jobs report. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 467 points, or 1.1%. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite rose 1% and 1.3%, respectively. Amazon rallied more than 6% as strength in the cloud and advertising businesses propelled the ecommerce giant above Wall Street's earnings expectations. Intel popped 5.3% after exceeding analysts' forecasts for revenue and offering strong guidance. The two stocks improved sentiment following some notable earnings...
The Hang Seng added 189 points or 0.9% to end at 20,506 on the first trading day of the month, snapping a two-day decline as factory activity in China recovered last month. Beijing's recent stimulus measures began to show a positive impact ahead of next week's National People's Congress session, which could launch more initiatives. On the monetary front, the PBoC injected CNY 500 billion via reverse repos late Thursday to keep ample liquidity nearing year-end. Property, consumers, and financials drove the strength, with notable rises from Akeso Inc. (8.4%), Tencent Holdings (3.7%), and...
European equity markets are set for a positive open on Friday after three consecutive days of heavy selling, as sentiment is starting to stabilize. Investors continue to assess the region's economic outlook and monetary policy. Earlier this week, stocks faced pressure from disappointing earnings reports from major U.S. tech companies, which negatively impacted market sentiment. In addition, investors are preparing for the upcoming U.S. presidential election and the Federal Reserve's latest decision next week. On a more concerning note, data released on Thursday showed that inflation in the...
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.
It...
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...
President Donald Trump said he would set levies on semiconductors in the coming two weeks, the latest indication he's readying a substantial expansion of his tariff regime.
"I'll be...