Switzerland's government will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday to decide its next move after its president returned home empty-handed from an 11th-hour trip to Washington aimed at averting a crippling 39% U.S. import tariff on Swiss goods. An urgent meeting of the seven-member Federal Council - Switzerland's governing cabinet - will take place in Bern in the early afternoon, the government said a post on X. Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter left Washington on Wednesday without a new deal and did not meet with U.S. President Donald Trump or any of his top trade officials, two sources...
The Hang Seng dropped 108 points or 0.5% to end at 23,345 on Friday, down for the second day amid broad-based losses across all sectors. Investors were unsure how policies would evolve when the 90-day trade war truce between Washington and Beijing ends in July. A climb in US futures failed to lift sentiment as traders were on edge ahead of China's key April data next week, including industrial output and retail sales. Meanwhile, the PBoC is set to review its benchmark lending rates, which have stayed at record lows in recent months as the economy faces domestic and external...
The STOXX 50 edged up 0.2% and the STOXX 600 gained 0.6% on Friday, with both indexes on track to close the week approximately 1.8% higher, potentially marking a fifth consecutive weekly advance. Investors continued to weigh the prospects of a de-escalation in the ongoing trade war while keeping a close eye on the Russia-Ukraine peace talks. On Friday, healthcare, telecommunications, and oil & gas sectors led the gains, while technology stocks lagged behind. Meanwhile, traders digested a fresh round of corporate earnings. Shares of Richemont surged around 4% after the luxury goods...
The Nikkei 225 ended almost flat at 37,754 while the broader Topix index edged up 0.05% to 2,741 on Friday, with Japanese shares struggling to gain traction as weak economic data weighed on sentiment. Investor caution prevailed after Japan's economy contracted 0.2% quarter-on-quarter in Q1, marking its first decline in a year and missing expectations for a 0.1% decline. The data reinforced concerns raised by the Bank of Japan earlier this week, which warned of a potential economic moderation due to U.S. trade policy pressures. The Japanese market also mirrored losses in U.S. technology...
Hong Kong stocks fell 214 points, or 0.9%, to 23,241 on Friday, posting a second straight session of losses amid declines across all sectors. Investors were cautious ahead of key Chinese April data due next week, including industrial production, retail sales and home prices. Meanwhile, the People's Bank of China is set to review its benchmark lending rate, which has remained at a record low in recent months to support the struggling economy. Alibaba Group Hlds. plunged 4.9% after reporting disappointing quarterly earnings. Other big losers included Kuaishou (-3.0%), Meituan (-2.7%),...
The Nikkei 225 index fell 0.4% to around 37,600 while the broader Topix index fell 0.1% to 2,736 on Friday, with Japanese shares falling for a third straight session, weighed down by weaker-than-expected economic data and weak guidance from Wall Street. Investor sentiment soured after Japan's GDP contracted 0.2% quarter-on-quarter in the first quarter, marking the country's first economic contraction in a year and below forecasts for a 0.1% decline. The data reinforced concerns raised earlier this week by the Bank of Japan, which warned of a potential economic moderation amid the impact of...
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...
Switzerland's government will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday to decide its next move after its president returned home empty-handed from an 11th-hour trip to Washington aimed at averting a...