Japan's equities rose on Friday after data showed inflation in July eased, reinforcing expectations for a potential Bank of Japan rate hike in the coming months. The Nikkei opened slightly higher by 19.64 points to 42,629.81. Japan's inflation in July eased, with the core CPI, which does not count fresh food items, up 3.1% over the same month in the previous year after a 3.3% gain in June, data by Statistics of Japan showed on Friday. Including all items, the reading also moderated to 3.1% compared to 3.3% in June, and marked the lowest since November 2024. Elsewhere, US stocks and bonds...
Hong Kong stocks surged more than three percent on Friday, in line with a global rally fuelled by relief over the timeline of US President Donald Trump's latest tariffs. Sentiment was also boosted by a Bloomberg report that China had invited Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma and other entrepreneurs for a meeting with top brass, fuelling hopes of further support for the country's private sector. The Hang Seng Index jumped 3.69 percent, or 805.96 points, to 22,620.33. The president said Thursday he decided to impose fresh reciprocal duties on trading partners, telling reporters that US allies were...
European stock markets opened lower on Friday after hitting record highs earlier this week. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index moved 0.1% lower when markets opened. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 was down by 0.25%, and Germany's DAX was lower by 0.3%. Meanwhile, France's CAC 40 opened flat. Asia-Pacific markets were mixed Friday, after Wall Street rose overnight as President Donald Trump signed a reciprocal tariffs plan, but did not enact the levies immediately. Mainland China's CSI 300 Index rose 0.86%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index surged 3.06%, extending its gains from the previous...
Japan stocks were lower after the close on Friday, as losses in the Textile, Transportation Equipment and Chemical, Petroleum & Plastic sectors led shares lower. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 fell 0.79%. The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. (TYO:7911), which rose 15.52% or 632.00 points to trade at 4,703.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Sony Corp (TYO:6758) added 8.65% or 295.00 points to end at 3,705.00 and Trend Micro Inc. (TYO:4704) was up 6.77% or 735.00 points to 11,595.00 in late trade. The worst performers of the session were...
The Hang Seng Index opened higher, rising 212 points or 0.97%, to reach 22,027 points. The China Enterprises Index climbed 80 points, or 1%, to 8,083, while the Tech Index advanced 75 points, or 1.43%, to 5,310.Technology stocks posted strong performances, with gains across major players. Tencent rose 1.7%, Alibaba edged up 0.1%, Meituan gained 1.4%, Xiaomi rose 1.8%, JD.com climbed 2.3%, and Kuaishou surged 3.3%.Financial stocks also provided significant support to the market. HSBC advanced 0.4%, AIA rose 1.7%, Ping An Insurance increased by 1.2%, and the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing...
The Nikkei 225 Index declined 0.4% to around 39,300 on Friday, ending a three-day rally as the yen sharply rebounded overnight. The currency's rise followed expectations of a softer US PCE inflation reading and a delay in President Trump's reciprocal tariffs. A stronger yen typically weighs on Japan's export-driven industries and makes Japanese assets pricier for foreign investors. Meanwhile, investors continued to navigate Japan's busy earnings season, which has yielded mixed results so far. Notable losses were seen in index heavyweights such as IHI Corp (-2.2%), Fast Retailing (-1.1%), and...