US stocks were flat to higher on Friday, following record-high closes for both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq the previous day. The three major averages are on track to end the week over 1% higher. Market sentiment remained cautiously optimistic amid hopes that new trade agreements—particularly with the EU—could be finalized before the August 1st deadline, potentially easing tariff rates. Adding to investor relief, President Trump appeared to soften his tone toward Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, helping to ease concerns about the Fed's independence. Health and materials were the top...
Japanese stocks were down after the close on Wednesday (5/14), as losses in the Paper & Pulp, Transportation and Communications sectors led shares lower. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 was down 0.14%. The best performers on the Nikkei 225 were Nexon Co Ltd (TYO:3659), which rose 16.88% or 382.50 points to trade at 2,648.50 at the close. Meanwhile, Takara Holdings Inc. (TYO:2531) gained 9.40% or 107.00 points to close at 1,245.50 and Marui Group Co., Ltd. (TYO:8252) gained 8.95% or 253.00 points to 3,079.00 in late trade. The worst performers on the session were Idemitsu Kosan...
European stock markets lacked direction on Wednesday, with the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 fluctuating around the flatline, with the recent rally, fueled by easing global trade tensions, showing signs of losing steam. Travel and leisure, real estate and oil and gas stocks led gains, while media, utilities and chemicals lagged. Traders were also closely watching corporate earnings. Daimler Truck Holding rose about 1% after the company cut its full-year outlook but maintained margin expectations for its North American truck division. E.ON edged up 0.2%, reaffirming its full-year guidance....
Hong Kong stocks rose 259 points, or 1.1%, to 23,368 in early trade on Wednesday, recovering from sharp losses in the previous session as most sectors rallied ahead of key earnings from major Chinese technology companies. The Hang Seng Tech Index led the gains, jumping 1.3%, after a rally in U.S. chipmakers overnight on news that Nvidia and AMD will supply semiconductors to Saudi firm Humain for data center projects. Ubtech Robotics jumped 3.3% after announcing a partnership with Huawei to launch humanoid robots in homes and factories. Consumer and financial stocks also posted solid gains,...
The Nikkei 225 index fell 0.1% to around 38,150 while the broader Topix index fell 0.4% to 2,761 on Wednesday, paring gains from earlier in the week as investors locked in profits after a strong rally. However, Japanese shares have recovered all of the losses since U.S. President Donald Trump announced his broad-based tariffs in early April as trade negotiations and a temporary easing of tariffs between the U.S. and China helped boost market sentiment. Investors also reacted to the latest economic data showing that Japanese producer prices rose 4% year-on-year in April, slowing from 4.2% in...
Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on Wednesday after Wall Street's main benchmarks rose on easing US-China trade tensions. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index slipped 0.68%, giving up gains after four straight positive sessions. South Korea's Kospi rose 0.53%. Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index was flat. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.96% while mainland China's CSI 300 traded flat. Wall Street bounced back after the US and China reached a temporary truce on tariffs earlier this week. The development sent stocks soaring with the Dow up more than 1,000 points on Monday. At...