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 Nikkei 225 Index rose 0.3% to 40,034, while the broader Topix Index also climbed 0.3% to 2,847 during Friday morning trading, marking the second straight session of gains. The advance followed a rally on Wall Street on Thursday, supported by upbeat corporate earnings and strong US economic data. The Nikkei reached its highest level in over two weeks, as recent trade agreements between the US and both Vietnam and Indonesia continued to boost investor sentiment. Traders largely shrugged off a statement from US President Donald Trump, who reiterated his intention to impose a 25% tariff on...
US stocks advanced on Thursday, supported by upbeat earnings and solid economic data as markets brushed aside lingering concerns over President Trump's criticism of the Fed and renewed tariff threats. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 rose 0.5% and 0.8%, respectively both notching new record highs while the Dow Jones gained over 200 points, or 0.5%. Retail sales rebounded by 0.6% in June, beating expectations, and weekly jobless claims dropped to 221,000, the lowest level in three months, highlighting consumer resilience. United Airlines and PepsiCo led earnings-driven gains, with shares...
S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures edged up 0.1% and 0.2%, respectively, on Thursday morning (July 17), while the Dow Jones Industrial Average remained flat. What caused this? Investors were digesting a series of new economic data from the US, which suggested the economy remains quite strong. This increase reflects market caution in responding to mixed sentiment, from economic strength to major corporate earnings reports. Released data showed that US retail sales rose 0.6% in June, well above market expectations of 0.1%. Meanwhile, jobless claims fell to 221,000, indicating a still-solid...
The Hang Seng Index weakened 19 points, or nearly 0.1%, to close at 24,499 on Thursday (July 17th), declining for the second consecutive session due to continued profit-taking after the benchmark index hit a four-month high earlier in the week. Slight declines in US index futures ahead of key retail sales data later in the day also weighed on sentiment. Meanwhile, concerns over escalating US tariffs persisted after President Trump announced plans to send letters to more than 150 countries, outlining potential tariffs of between 10% and 15%. He described most of the letter recipients as "not...
The STOXX 50 rose 0.9% and the STOXX 600 gained 0.6% on Thursday, marking their first advances in six and five consecutive sessions, respectively, as investor attention shifted to corporate earnings. Chip stocks rebounded from sharp losses the previous day, supported by upbeat results from TSMC. Notable gains included ASML Holding (+2.7%), Infineon Technologies (+2%), and STMicroelectronics (+3.7%). ABB jumped more than 7% after reporting record order intake and Volvo added 0.7% after reporting better-than-expected earnings, with signs of recovery in Europe helping to offset weak truck...
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...