Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said on Thursday he continues to believe the U.S. central bank should cut interest rates at the end of this month amid mounting risks to the economy and the strong likelihood that tariff-induced inflation will not drive a persistent rise in price pressures. "It makes sense to cut the FOMC's policy rate by 25 basis points two weeks from now," Waller told a gathering of the Money Marketeers of New York University. "I see the hard and soft data on economic activity and the labor market as consistent: The economy is still growing, but its momentum...
The Hang Seng Index surged 387 points, or 1.6%, to close at 24,590 on Tuesday (July 15), rising for a fourth straight session and reaching its highest level in nearly four months. The index rebounded from an initial decline as all sectors advanced, led by strong performance in technology and consumer stocks. The technology index surged 2.8%, driven by solid gains in Kuaishou Technology (3.8%), Meituan (3.5%), and Tencent Holdings (2.3%), after Nvidia expressed hope of soon resuming sales of its H20 general-purpose chip to China. Consumer, property, and financial stocks also rose, as...
European stocks edged higher on Tuesday, with the STOXX 50 up 0.3% and the STOXX 600 gaining 0.1%, as markets attempted to recover from modest losses in the previous session. Trade developments remained in focus, with investors closely monitoring potential deals that could ease tariff pressures. US President Trump announced a 30% tariff on imports from the European Union starting August 1st, prompting the bloc to continue to seek a trade agreement. Gains were seen in the autos and tech sectors, while telecom stocks declined. Corporate earnings were also in the spotlight. Shares of Ericsson...
Japanese shares closed higher on Tuesday as Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba prepared to meet US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Tokyo on Friday ahead of the Aug. 1 trade deal deadline. The Nikkei 225 rose 0.55%, or 218.4 points, to end at 39,678.02. Bessent will travel to Japan for the US national day at the World Expo in Osaka on July 19, skipping the G20 finance meeting in South Africa. He will lead a delegation that includes Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau. Japan's top negotiator Ryosei Akazawa is also expected to meet Bessent,...
The Hang Seng Index opened 78 points higher, rising 0.32% to 24,281. The China Enterprises Index gained 30 points, or 0.34%, to close at 8,763, while the Tech Index increased by 14 points, or 0.27%, to 5,297. Technology stocks showed overall stability, with Tencent up 0.5%, Alibaba gaining 0.3%, and Meituan edging up 0.1%. Both Xiaomi Group and Kuaishou remained unchanged. Financial stocks displayed mixed performance. HSBC Holdings rose 0.7%, while AIA Group declined by 0.3%. Ping An Insurance saw a slight increase of 0.2%, and the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing also climbed...
The Nikkei 225 Index fell 0.1% to below 39,430 while the broader Topix Index rose 0.5% to 2,837 on Tuesday, with Japanese shares showing mixed performances as caution dominated sentiment amid ongoing global trade uncertainty and geopolitical risks. US President Donald Trump signaled openness to renewed trade talks with the European Union and other key partners, but also threatened to impose secondary tariffs of 100% on Russia if a peace deal with Ukraine is not reached within 50 days—adding to market volatility. On the domestic front, market participants awaited upcoming trade and...
According to a statement by the Federal Reserve (Fed), Fed Chair Jerome Powell met with United States (US) President Donald Trump on Thursday, where the head of the Fed reiterated that the Fed's...
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...