Asia-Pacific markets traded higher, tracking Wall Street gains overnight. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.41% after hitting a fresh record high on Thursday, while the Topix added 0.61%. South Korea's Kospi climbed 0.83%, and the small-cap Kosdaq jumped 0.65%. Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 added 0.41%. Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng index stood at 26,464, higher than its last close of 26,086.32. Equities in several parts of the world have been rallying as easing inflation pressures and expectations for U.S. rate cuts boost investor sentiment. "Momentum and the promise of...
A U.S. appeals court ruled on Friday that most of President Donald Trump's global tariffs were illegal, finding he exceeded his authority when imposing them. A panel of judges in Washington upheld an earlier decision by the Court of International Trade that Trump wrongfully invoked an emergency law to issue the tariffs. Despite the ruling, the tariffs will remain in place for now as the case continues through the legal system. The ruling does not affect Trump's first-term Section 232 tariffs on steel, aluminum, and autos, nor the Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods, as these were imposed...
The University of Michigan consumer sentiment for the US dropped to 58.2 in August of 2025 from the five-month high of 61.7 in the previous month, revised down from the preliminary estimate of 58.6 and well under the initial market expectations of 62. It was the first drop in the sentiment gauge in four months, mainly due to growing inflation concerns and sharply worse buying conditions for durable goods, which fell to their lowest in one year. Expectations on overall business conditions and the outlook on the US labor market also deteriorated, although expectations on personal finances...
Recent economic data suggests the central bank remains on track to cut interest rates at its next meeting in September. The Fed's selected inflation indicator held steady in July, suggesting the central bank remains on track to begin lowering interest rates as soon as its next meeting in September. Consumer prices rose 0.2 percent in July and were up 2.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index released by the Commerce Department on Friday. The annual pace was the same as the previous period. Core prices, which exclude volatile food and...
The US core PCE price index, which excludes volatile and energy prices and is the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of core inflation in the US economy, rose 0.3% from the previous month in July 2025. This figure is the same as in June, in line with market expectations. Compared to the previous year, the index rose 2.9%, the highest in five months. (alg) Source: Trading Economics
Australia's private sector credit rose 0.7% month-on-month in July 2025, after two consecutive 0.6% gains and marking the fastest increase since April. The latest figure beat market expectations of 0.6%, driven by a sharp pickup in business credit (1.4% vs 0.5% in June). Meanwhile, housing credit growth held steady (at 0.5%), while personal credit notably eased (0.4% vs 0.8%). Year-on-year, private credit expanded 7.2%, up from 6.9% in the previous two months and the strongest pace since February 2023. Source : Trading Economics
Asia-Pacific markets traded higher, tracking Wall Street gains overnight.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.41% after hitting a fresh record high on Thursday, while the Topix added 0.61%. South...
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...
Less than four months ago, President Donald Trump met with Qatar's leader, praised his magnificent palace, and signed a comprehensive defense agreement with the Gulf monarchy, a key ally that hosts...