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...
U.S. stocks plunged on Friday, putting the S&P 500 on track to extend its slide since late February that has been fueled by trade policy turmoil, recession fears and a rollover in megacap technology stocks. The S&P 500 fell 0.4%, putting the index on track for its first five-week decline in more than two years. The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.6%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 302 points, or 0.7%. Traders had been bracing for a potentially volatile session on Friday with so-called "quadruple witching" — when stock options, index futures and single-stock futures expire. Goldman...
The STOXX 50 fell 0.5%, and the STOXX 600 dropped 0.3% on Friday, extending losses from the previous session as concerns over the economic outlook continued to weigh on investor sentiment. The U.S. is set to impose retaliatory tariffs on April 2, while the European Union's retaliatory measures have been delayed until mid-April. Travel and leisure shares were among the worst performers after London's Heathrow Airport was forced to close Friday due to a power outage caused by a fire at a nearby electrical substation. Meanwhile, traders were closely watching a vote by Germany's upper house on...
The Hang Seng plunged 530 points, or 2.2%, to close at 23,690 on Friday (3/21), marking its second straight decline amid sharp declines across all sectors. The index fell 1.1% for the week, extending its decline to two weeks, as rising profit-taking in technology stocks and caution ahead of upcoming Chinese corporate earnings weighed on sentiment. Semiconductor Manufacturing dropped 7.1% to a one-month low, while Kuaishou Tech (-5.4%), Alibaba Group (-3.5%), and Tencent (-2.0%) also fell sharply. Consumer, property and financial stocks also fell, as China's newly announced "special action...
Japan stocks were lower after the close on Friday, as losses in the Shipbuilding, Manufacturing and Services sectors led shares lower. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 declined 0.51%. The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Mercari Inc (TYO:4385), which rose 7.45% or 182.50 points to trade at 2,633.50 at the close. Meanwhile, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc (TYO:8306) added 5.72% or 120.50 points to end at 2,226.00 and DeNA Co Ltd (TYO:2432) was up 4.08% or 137.00 points to 3,497.00 in late trade. The worst performers of the session were SUMCO Corp. (TYO:3436),...
Hong Kong stocks lost 283 points or 1.2 to 23,929 in Friday morning trade, marking their second straight session of decline as all sectors retreated. Sentiment remained weak following a drop on Wall Street overnight, as traders cautiously digested the latest U.S. economic data amid concerns over President Trump's tariffs. Meanwhile, uncertainty over the timing and scale of Beijing's latest plan to boost consumption prompted investors to move away from riskier assets. Among the early laggards were CK Asset Holdings (-5.7%), KE Holdings (-3.7%), Innovent Biologics (-3.6%), and Semiconductor...
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...