The US economy is slowing, according to a monthly index released Monday, increasing the likelihood that policymakers will cut interest rates next month. The Chicago Fed's National Activity Index fell slightly to minus 0.19 in July from a downwardly revised minus 0.18 in June. A reading below zero indicates slower growth than the long-term average. Employment indicators remained negative on the index, a fresh sign of fragility in the US labor market. This weakness is one of the main reasons for a rate cut at the Fed's policy meeting next month. Central bank Chairman Jerome Powell last week...
Asia-Pacific markets opened higher on Tuesday, tracking Wall Street gains buoyed by a Tesla rally, and as investors wait to watch key Chinese financial policymakers speak at an investment summit in Hong Kong. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 traded 0.53% higher in its first hour of trade. Japan's Nikkei 225 was up 0.68%, while the Topix rose 0.65%. South Korea's Kospi and Kosdaq traded around the flatline. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index futures were at 19,766, higher than the HSI's last close of 19,576.61. The Reserve Bank of Australia will publish the minutes from its monetary policy meeting...
European markets were lower on Monday, with investors turning their attention to regional inflation data and to Nvidia earnings due this week. The pan European Stoxx 600 was down 0.38% at 2:40 p.m. London time, with major regional bourses and sectors mostly pulling back. Retail stocks led losses, down 1.17%, while oil and gas stocks added 0.36%.Markets had closed lower on Friday, with the Stoxx 600 recording its fourth consecutive weekly decline. This week, investors will be looking to several key regional data points, including the latest inflation data out of the U.K. on Wednesday. The...
The Nasdaq Composite rallied Monday as Tesla shares surged and Wall Street braced for major market-moving earnings reports. The Nasdaq advanced 0.3%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 60 points, or 0.1%. The S&P 500 edged up 0.1%. Tesla spearheaded the tech-heavy index's rally, popping 8% amid a Bloomberg News report, citing sources, that President-elect Donald Trump's team is working on ways to ease regulation on self-driving vehicles. Elsewhere, Apple and Netflix rose about 2%, while Advanced Micro Devices surged nearly 4%. Wednesday's report from the AI chip darling...
The Hang Seng rose 150 points or 0.8% to close at 19,577 on Monday, breaking a six-session of losses after China urged listed companies to lift share prices through mergers and acquisitions, employee stock schemes, cash dividends, and share buybacks. However, the index trimmed early rises following Morgan Stanley's downgrade of Hong Kong shares to "underweight" from "market weight". Most sectors advanced, notably financials, consumers, and tech. Geely Auto jumped 4.4% after Jefferies kept a "buy" rating, citing restructuring efforts to improve efficiencies. Some traders were cautious ahead...
European equity markets were set to open higher on Monday, as investors looked ahead to key inflation data from the Eurozone and the UK later this week, which could offer insights into the region's monetary policy direction. Markets were also awaiting remarks from key central bank officials for further clues on future policy moves. Moreover, European futures tracked US futures higher as investors prepared for Nvidia's earnings report this week, with traders watching for guidance about the demand for its Blackwell AI chips. In premarket trade, Euro Stoxx 50 and Stoxx 600 futures were both up...
President Donald Trump said he would fire Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors if she does not resign her post over mortgage-fraud accusations from a top...
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) maintained its cash rate at 4.1% during its April meeting, holding borrowing costs unchanged after slashing 25 bps in the February meeting, aligning with market...