Investors cheered Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's Jackson Hole address, which gave a green light to buy risky assets on the hope the central bank is ready to cut rates, but took his dovish message with a note of caution as they see a risk of stagflation ahead and worry markets are over-optimistic. In his final address as Fed chair at the Jackson Hole, Wyoming, economic symposium, Powell hinted at a September interest rate cut but stopped short of committing, striking a careful balance between mounting job-market risks and lingering inflation worries. The speech on Friday came amid...
The Hang Seng fell 23 points or 0.12% to end at 19,823 on Wednesday, closing in the red for the fourth session amid a sharp drop in US futures as concerns built that US President-elect Donald Trump's planned policies might fuel inflation and slow the pace of interest rate cuts. Markets hit their lowest in nearly seven weeks, dragged by the potential appointment of China hawks to key US cabinet positions, which could lead to a tougher stance on trade and tariffs against Beijing. Property and financials mainly retreated, with investors staying vigilant ahead of key US inflation data and...
European equity markets were poised for a lower open on Wednesday as investors prepared for key US inflation data that could influence the Federal Reserve's next policy move. Market participants also continued to assess the potential impact of US President-elect Donald Trump's policies on European economies and financial markets. Traders will focus on earnings reports from several major European companies, including ABN Amro, Allianz, Siemens Energy, SSE, and RWE, while no major economic data is scheduled for release. In premarket trading, Euro Stoxx 50 and Stoxx 600 futures were down...
The Nikkei 225 Index fell 0.7% to around 39,100 while the broader Topix Index lost 0.3% to 2,733 on Wednesday, tracking losses on Wall Street overnight as the market took a breather from the postelection rally. Domestically, data showed that Japan's producer prices rose at the fastest pace in 14 months in October, highlighting ongoing inflationary pressures. Investors also continued to evaluate the impact of Japan's 10 trillion yen stimulus plan for AI chipmakers which aims to strengthen critical supply chains amid ongoing US-China trade tensions. Technology stocks led the declines, with...
The Nikkei 225 index fell 0.7% to around 39,100 while the broader Topix index fell 0.3% to 2,733 on Wednesday, tracking losses on Wall Street overnight as markets took a breather from a post-election rally. Domestically, data showed that Japanese producer prices rose at the fastest pace in 14 months in October, highlighting ongoing inflationary pressures. Investors also continued to assess the impact of Japan's 10 trillion yen stimulus plan for AI chipmakers aimed at strengthening critical supply chains amid ongoing U.S.-China trade tensions. Technology stocks led the declines, with...
Asia-Pacific stock markets opened lower on Wednesday, tracking declines on Wall Street as the post-election rally in the U.S. stalled overnight. Asian traders were assessing corporate goods data from Japan, which showed year-on-year growth in producer prices, or wholesale inflation, in October hit its highest since July last year at 3.4%. That was higher than the 3% growth expected by economists polled by Reuters, and a 2.8% increase in September. Japan's Nikkei 225 was trading down 0.5% at the open, while the Topix was down 0.3%. South Korea's Kospi was down 1.1%, while the Kosdaq...
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...