Hong Kong stocks rose modestly on Tuesday, as investors positioned ahead of the Politburo meeting in China that could set the economic tone for the rest of the year, while sentiment remained upbeat following the launch of the world's largest hydropower dam project on the eastern rim of the Tibetan Plateau. The Hang Seng Index gained 135.89 points, or 0.5%, to close at 25,130.03, while the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index (HSCEI) added 35.40 points, or 0.4%, to 9,075.60. Focus is now on the upcoming Politburo meeting, convened by Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month, which could...
Asia-Pacific markets rose on Friday, after the S&P 500 hit a record high on Thursday as U.S. President Donald Trump called for lower interest rates and cheaper oil. Japan's core inflation rate rose to a 16-month high of 3% in December, year-on-year, adding to the case for a rate hike from the Bank of Japan. The CPI announcement comes ahead of the Bank of Japan's monetary policy meeting later in the day. Market watchers expect the central bank to raise interest rates to their lowest level in 17 years The country's benchmark Nikkei 225 index started the day up 0.31%. South Korea's...
Japanese stocks rose for a fifth day ahead of a likely interest-rate hike by the Bank of Japan with strength among domestic demand-related sectors such as services, retail, food, and construction. Nikkei advanced 0.3% to 40,069.59 as of 9:20 a.m. Tokyo time The Topix Index rose 0.2% to 2,758.10 Nintendo Co. contributed the most to the Topix Index gain, increasing 2.2%. Out of 2,119 stocks in the index, 1,367 rose and 545 fell, while 207 were unchanged. Stocks are being supported by expectations of lower crude oil prices, easing concerns about inflation globally,...
The S&P 500 rose to record highs once again on Thursday after President Donald Trump called for lower interest rates and cheaper oil prices. The broad market index added 0.5%, notching an all-time intraday high for the second straight session. The Dow Jones industrial Average advanced 408 points, 0.9%, on pace for its fourth straight winning day. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.2%. Stocks took a modest leg up after Trump said Thursday in a virtual address to the World Economic Forum that he would "demand that interest rates drop immediately." The president also said he would ask Saudi...
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday continued to take aim at the European Union for what he claims is an unequal trade relationship. "From the standpoint of America, the EU treats us very, very unfairly, very badly," Trump said in a virtual address to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. After his inauguration on Monday, Trump's second term has been a key topic of conversation at Davos this year — particularly given his threats of trade tariffs on the EU, China, Mexico, Canada and beyond. Echoing previous comments, Trump said in his Davos address: "They make it very...
Both the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 held near the flatline on Thursday, ending a seven-session winning streak that had pushed the former to a 2,000 high and the latter to a record. Traders took a breather as they closely monitored developments in U.S. policy under President Trump. Technology stocks led the decline after rallying in the previous session, boosted by Trump's announcement of a $500 billion investment in U.S. AI infrastructure. Meanwhile, the World Economic Forum in Davos remained in focus, with Trump scheduled to address attendees via video call. In the corporate sector, ASML...