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...
(Hong Kong) The Hang Seng Index started weak, down by 124 points or 0.6%, standing at 20,557 points. Concurrently, the mainland enterprises index dropped by 30 points or 0.39%, reaching 7,638 points, while the technology index saw a decline of 25 points or 0.53%, settling at 4,787 points. Tech stocks faced a downturn with Tencent falling by 1%, Alibaba by 1.7%, Meituan by 0.3%, Xiaomi Group by 0.7%, and Kuaishou by 0.4%.In the financial sector, there was a softness observed with HSBC Holdings declining by 2.1%, Prudential by 1.3%, China Ping An by 1.5%, and Hong Kong Exchanges by 0.2%. The...
Japanese stocks tumbled on Friday, tracking sharp losses on Wall Street as trade tensions between the U.S. and China reignited market volatility. The Nikkei 225 plunged 5% to fall below 33,000, while the broader Topix Index sank 4.7% to 2,420, erasing much of the previous session's gains. The downturn followed confirmation from the White House that cumulative tariffs on Chinese imports have climbed to 145%, deepening fears of a prolonged trade war. Uncertainty also lingers around the outcome of ongoing negotiations, despite President Trump's 90-day tariff reprieve meant to create space for...
Markets in Asia tumbled during morning trading Friday, a day after U.S. markets retreated in the wake of a White House announcement saying tariffs on Chinese exports to the United States would rise to 145 percent, up from 125 percent. Japan's Nikkei 225 and Topix indexes dropped by more than 4 percent. South Korea's Kospi and Australia's ASX 200 fell by almost 2 percent, while Taiwan's bourse kicked off the day with a fall of under 1 percent before logging a tiny gain of under 0.5 percent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index and China's Shanghai composite index netted losses of under 1 percent in...
U.S. stocks plunged on Thursday, reversing some of the previous day's historic rally as fresh concerns over escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and China rattled investor confidence. President Trump's announcement of a 90-day tariff pause for some countries had sparked optimism, but confirmation that total tariffs on Chinese goods had jumped to 145% reignited market concerns. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq fell 3.5% and 4.3%, respectively, while the Dow plunged 1,015 points. Tech giants such as Apple (-4.2%), Tesla (-7.3%), Nvidia (-5.9%), and MetaTrader (-6.7%) led the losses, as...
European stocks rallied by the most since March 2022, a day after US President Donald Trump paused plans to implement higher reciprocal tariffs on dozens of trade partners, easing concerns for the moment about potential damages from a global trade war. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index rose 3.7%, trimming earlier gains of as much as 7.3%. All sectors were in the green, with financial services and banks leading gains. France's CAC 40 advanced 3.8% and Germany's DAX added 4.5%. Trump announced a 90-day tariff reprieve Wednesday, providing relief for European...
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...