The Hang Seng Index reversed its downward trend in Hong Kong on Thursday (February 12th), weakening by around 0.9% to around 27,000 after a strong session earlier. This decline halted the momentum of the short term rally, as investors began to reduce risk in large cap stocks. Among the index's contributors, Tencent was a major drag, with its shares falling by around 2.3%, putting pressure on the technology sector, which has recently been a driving force behind market gains. Weakness in large cap companies like this typically quickly impacts sentiment due to their significant weighting in...
Japan's wholesale inflation accelerated in October as a weaker yen pushed up import costs for some goods, data showed on Wednesday, complicating the central bank's decision on how quickly to raise interest rates. The corporate goods price index (CGPI), which measures the prices companies charge each other for goods and services, rose 3.4% in October from a year earlier, Bank of Japan data showed, above market forecasts for a 3.0% increase. That followed a 3.1% increase in September. The yen-based import price index fell 2.2% in October from a year earlier, slowing from a 2.5% decline in...
The number of Americans filing claims for unemployment benefits rose to 221,000 in the week ending Nov. 3, 2024. That was above the 223 estimate and up from the previous weekly reading of 218, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Source: @Newsmaker23
Economic activity in the US services sector accelerated in October, with the ISM Services PMI rising to 56 from 54.9 in September. This was higher than the market forecast of 53.8. Other details from the report showed that the Prices Paid Index, a component of inflation, edged down to 58.1 from 59.4, while the Employment Index improved to 53 from 48.1. Assessing the survey findings, "concerns over political uncertainty were again more prominent than in the previous month," said Steve Miller, Chair of the Institute for Supply Management's (ISM) Services Business Survey Committee. "The...
The business activity in the US manufacturing sector continued to contract at an accelerating pace in October, with the ISM Manufacturing PMI falling to 46.5 from 47.2 in September. This reading came in below the market expectation of 47.6. The Employment Index of the PMI survey edged slightly higher to 44.4 from 43.9 in the same period and the Prices Paid Index rose sharply to 54.8 from 48.3. Finally, the New Orders Index improved to 47.1 from 46.1. Source: Fxstreet
US hiring advanced at the slowest pace since 2020 in October while the unemployment rate held at a low level in a month distorted by severe hurricanes and a major strike. Nonfarm payrolls increased 12,000 last month, following a downward revision to the prior two months. The unemployment rate held at 4.1% and hourly earnings remained firm, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics' figures released Friday. Economists had warned the Boeing Co. strike as well as the two powerful hurricanes — Helene and Milton — that hit the Southeast in late September and early October...