US stocks were higher on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 rising 0.3%, the Nasdaq edging up 0.1%, and the Dow Jones jumping more than 250 points. The gains followed fresh record closes for the S&P 500 in back-to-back sessions. Investor sentiment was buoyed by renewed trade optimism after President Trump announced a deal with Japan that would lower tariffs from 25% to 15%. Japan also committed to investing $550 billion in the US and opening its markets to key American goods. Additionally, a trade agreement with the Philippines was announced, while hopes are growing that a deal with the EU...
The Hang Seng soared 388 points or 1.8% to end at 21,522 on Monday, rising for the third session and notching their highest level since early October amid widespread sector gains. Concerns about China's deflation notably eased after Sunday's data showed consumer inflation hit a 5-month high due to solid holiday spending. In addition, worries about trade row between China and the US waned, with many traders viewing US tariff threats as negotiation tactics. The tech index climbed over 2.5% on continued optimism around China's AI tech. Meanwhile, China's three largest telecom operators --...
Major bourses in Europe kicked off the week slightly higher, with both the STOXX 50 and the STOXX 600 adding about 0.2%, as traders try to shrug off concerns about the trade war. President Donald Trump announced plans to impose 25% tariffs on all imports of steel and aluminum into the US and said new reciprocal tariffs would also be announced this week. This came as China's retaliatory tariffs on select US exports are set to take effect today, while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that the EU is ready to respond "within an hour" if the US imposes tariffs on European goods. Real...
Asia-Pacific markets fell Monday, tracking U.S. stocks futures that were lower ahead of key economic data, with escalating trade tensions denting investor sentiment. U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters Sunday that he was planning to announce a blanket 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports on Monday, according to Reuters. Over in Japan, the benchmark Nikkei 225 was trading flat, while the broader Topix index fell 0.16%, in choppy trading. The country reported loan growth of 3% year on year in January, falling slightly from December's 3.1%. South Korea's Kospi was flat in...
Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed Monday, tracking U.S. stocks futures that were lower ahead of key economic data, with escalating trade tensions denting investor sentiment.U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters Sunday that he was planning to announce a blanket 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports on Monday, according to Reuters.Over in Japan, the benchmark Nikkei 225 was down 0.1%, while the broader Topix index fell 0.27%, in choppy trading.The country reported loan growth of 3% year on year in January, falling slightly from December's 3.1%.South Korea's indexes opened lower,...
Hong Kong's equities surged 253 points or 1.2% to 21,389 on Monday morning deals, marking the third session of gains and holding their highest in three months. Optimism toward China's tech sector continued to boost sentiment following the sudden emergence of low-cost AI model DeepSeek. At the same time, concerns over deflation risks in the mainland eased after consumer inflation hit a five-month top of 0.5% in January, topping consensus of 0.4%. Gains were broad-based, with top movers from tech, consumers, and financials. Further increases were tempered by news that President Trump will...