Hong Kong stocks edged up 47 points, or 0.2%, at the start of November trading, reaching 25,949. This increase helped the market recover after three consecutive sessions of losses. The gains were primarily driven by financial and property stocks, supported by strengthening US futures after Wall Street posted weekly and monthly gains. Sentiment also improved after the White House announced that China would lift rare earth export controls and end investigations into US semiconductor companies in a new trade deal. Economically, Hong Kong reported 3.8% year-on-year growth in the third quarter,...
US stocks closed mixed on Friday as investors digested economic data, corporate news, and geopolitical developments. The S&P 500 slipped 0.3% after briefly hitting a record high, while the Nasdaq fell 0.4% amid weakness in chipmakers, with Applied Materials tumbling 14% on a downbeat forecast and Nvidia losing 0.9%. The Dow finished 35 points higher after touching records higher earlier in the session, lifted by a 12% surge in UnitedHealth after Berkshire Hathaway disclosed a major stake. Retail sales in July rose 0.5%, meeting expectations, but the University of Michigan's consumer...
The Hang Seng fell 249 points or 1.0% to close at 25,270 on Friday, slipping for the second session as all sectors dipped. Weak July data in China hit investor sentiment as industrial output grew the least in eight months, retail sales notched a six-month low, and the jobless rate rose to a four-month high of 5.2%. The Chinese statistics agency also warned of persistent risks from global headwinds and weather disruptions. Still, the index rose 1.7% for the week, its second straight gain, helped by Wall Street record highs and optimism over a possible Fed rate cut in September, as well as a...
The Stoxx 50 and Stoxx 600 edged higher on Friday (August 15), extending their gains for a fourth consecutive session as investors awaited the high-stakes Trump-Putin summit in Alaska, hoping for progress in ending the Ukraine war. Sentiment strengthened despite mixed global data, including weaker factory output and retail sales in China in July. In corporate news, Pandora reported Q2 organic sales rose 8% to DKK 7.08 billion ($1.1 billion), slightly missing estimates, with U.S. sales up 12% but China sales down 15%. The jewelry company will double its planned store closures in China to...
The Nikkei 225 index jumped 1.71% to 43,378, while the broader Topix index rose 1.63% to 3,108 on Friday (August 15), recovering from the previous session's decline as stronger-than-expected GDP data boosted sentiment. Japan's economy grew 0.3% in the second quarter, up from 0.1% growth in the first quarter, which also matched the consensus forecast. This positive surprise was primarily driven by net exports, which added 0.3 percentage points to growth despite headwinds from US tariffs. Globally, higher-than-expected US producer price inflation dampened speculation of a half-point Federal...
Hong Kong stocks plunged 332 points (-1.3%) to 25,192 in Friday morning trading, extending their decline into a second session. Selling pressure spread across most sectors, particularly financials, technology, and consumer discretionary, as regional risk appetite weakened. Sentiment was weighed down after Chinese data for July showed industrial output and retail sales below expectations, confirming slowing economic momentum amid persistent external risks, weather disruptions, and weak domestic demand. The surveyed unemployment rate also rose to 5.2%, a four-month high. Nevertheless, the...