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...
European stocks opened in the green on Monday, with the Stoxx 600 index up 0.1% in early deals, building on last week's gains. Global sentiment appears broadly robust, with Asia-Pacific stocks turning mixed but U.S. futures remaining higher. In Europe, sectors are mixed, with autos down 0.6% and banks slipping 0.25% as financial services gain 0.6%. Beneficiaries of the U.K.-U.S. trade deal, which took effect this morning, are slightly higher, having already notched strong gains on the previous announcement. Those include engine-maker Rolls-Royce, up 0.6%, and German automaker BMW,...
Japanese equities rose for a fifth day after trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa's extension of his US visit spurred hopes for a deal. Sentiment was also supported by the S&P 500 Index, which reached a new record on Friday. Topix Index climbed 0.4% to close at 2,852.84, just 2.6% below its previous all-time high set in July 2024. SoftBank Group Corp. contributed the most to the Topix Index gain, increasing 4.3%. Out of 1,681 stocks in the index, 897 rose and 705 fell, while 79 were unchanged. Nikkei advanced 0.8% to 40,487.39. The Topix Index rounded...
Japanese stocks rose after a decline in US consumer spending spurred expectations of a possible rate cut and improved investor sentiment as the S&P 500 Index reached a new high. The Topix Index rose 0.9% to 2,865.00 as of 9:33 a.m. Tokyo time, while the Nikkei advanced 1.4% to 40,719.74. SoftBank Group Corp. contributed the most to the Topix Index gain, increasing 5.2%. Out of 1,681 stocks in the index, 1,292 rose and 317 fell, while 72 were unchanged. Exporters such as machinery and precision instruments gained. Domestic demand-related shares such...
Asia-Pacific markets rose Monday as investors parsed a slew of data points, including South Korea and Japan's industrial output figures for May and China's purchasing managers' index readings for June. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 climbed 1.13% in early trade, while the broader Topix index advanced 0.77%. In South Korea, the Kospi index added 0.63%, while the small-cap Kosdaq was flat. Over in Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 started the day 0.3% higher. Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng index stood at 24,182, pointing to a weaker open compared to the HSI's last close of...
US stocks closed at record highs on Friday driven by optimism over pending trade agreements and rising expectations for interest rate cuts, as investors looked past President Donald Trump's comments about halting trade talks with Canada. The S&P 500 gained 0.5%, closing above its February peak, while the Nasdaq 100 also advanced 0.5% to a new high. The Dow Jones rose by 432 points. Earlier in the day, markets surged on encouraging news of trade progress with key partners, including a framework agreement with China. Although Trump's unexpected remarks on Canada briefly dented sentiment,...
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...