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 rose 137 points or 0.7% to close at 20,264 on Wednesday, snapping a two-day losing streak. The rebound came after early-session losses, driven by gains in tech, consumers, and property. Sentiment improved following Premier Li Qiang's remarks that Beijing is "fully capable of hedging against adverse external influences," including the newly imposed 104% U.S. import tariffs. A rally in mainland stocks also lifted the mood, as state-owned firms stepped in to support markets. Top Chinese brokerages pledged to stabilize share prices, and some listed companies launched stock buyback...
European stocks opened lower on Wednesday, with markets struggling to maintain the positive momentum of the previous session as the U.S.′ country-specific tariffs started taking effect. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index was 2.55% lower shortly after the opening bell, with all sectors and major bourses firmly in negative territory. Regional banking, mining and oil and gas indexes led the losses, plummeting 3%, 3.9% and 3.6% respectively. Among Europe's major indexes, the French CAC 40 crashed 2.6%, while Germany's DAX was 2.1% lower during early morning trade, and the FTSE 100 lost...
Japanese stocks fell sharply Wednesday as US tariffs officially took effect, triggering broad market losses. The Nikkei 225 dropped 3.93% to 31,714, while the Topix Index declined 3.4% to 2,349, reversing gains from the previous session and mirroring overnight losses on Wall Street. The new measures include a 24% tariff on Japanese goods and a 25% levy on auto exports to the US. President Trump confirmed Japan will send a delegation to negotiate, while Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he urged Trump to reconsider the tariffs in a recent call. Financial and tech stocks led the selloff,...
The Hang Seng Index opened significantly lower this morning, down by 632 points or 3.14% settling at 19,494 points. Likewise, the National Index dropped by 232 points, or 3.13%, to stand at 7,198 points, while the Technology Index suffered a decline of 194 points, or 4.26%, now at 4,373 points. In the export sector this morning, Shenzhou International Group Holdings (2313) opened down 6.1%, while Intime Group (1382) remained flat at the opening. Crystal International Group (2232) saw a decrease of 5.6%. The shipping and port stocks also faced a downturn; China Merchants Port Holdings (0144)...
The Nikkei 225 Index plunged 3.6% toward 31,800 while the broader Topix Index tumbled 2.9% to 2,362 on Wednesday, giving back gains from the previous session and tracking losses on Wall Street overnight as US President Donald Trump's new tariffs are set to come into effect later today. That would include a 24% tariff on Japanese goods and a 25% levy on car imports to the US. Meanwhile, Trump said that Japan is sending a team to negotiate on trade with the US, while Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba revealed that he told Trump in a phone call to rethink his tariff policies. Financial 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...