European equity markets extended their rally on the first trading day of 2026, with benchmark indices pushing to fresh record highs despite thin liquidity following the New Year holiday. Gains were led by defense stocks, underpinned by persistent geopolitical tensions and expectations of increased military spending across the region. The STOXX 50 climbed 0.7% to a new all-time high of 5,830 points, while the broader STOXX 600 rose 0.4% to a record 595 points. The strong start to the year follows a robust performance in 2025, when the STOXX 50 advanced about 18% and the STOXX 600 rose 17%,...
Asia-Pacific markets tumbled Thursday following a choppy session on Wall Street as the Federal Reserve meeting minutes signaled interest rates could stay higher for longer due to sticky inflation. Investors in Asia also await China's inflation data for December. Economists polled by Reuters expect growth in consumer prices to have remained near zero, while producer prices are estimated to have continued to slide.Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped 0.14% and the Topix fell 0.29%.Australia's S&P/ASX 200 edged down 0.63%.South Korea's Kospi index fell 0.1%, while the small-cap Kosdaq slid...
U.S. stocks ended Wednesday little changed, as major indexes failed to stray frar from the unchanged mark, with investors digesting the impact of two conflicting sets of jobs data and a report that said President-elect Donald Trump was mulling a national economic emergency declaration on inflation. The minutes of the Federal Reserve's Dec. 17-18 meeting showed on Wednesday that officials saw a rising risk that price pressures may remain sticky as policymakers began wrestling with the impact of policies expected from the incoming Trump administration. Market sentiment was fragile after a...
European markets closed lower Wednesday after regional economic sentiment dropped in December, according to preliminary data. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index ended the session down 0.27%, having traded higher for most of the morning session. Most major bourses and the majority of sectors also closed the day in negative territory, with healthcare, financial services and media stocks among the few in the green. The downturn came after the European Commission released preliminary data showing its economic sentiment indicator had dropped 1.7 points in the EU and 1.9 points in the euro area...
Wall Street's major indexes opened weak on Wednesday, as investors digested weaker-than-expected jobs data and assessed a report that President-elect Donald Trump is considering declaring a national economic emergency. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI), rose 13.7 points, or 0.03%, at the open to 42,542.1. The S&P 500 (.SPX), gained 1.6 points, or 0.03%, to 5,910.66, while the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC), fell 20.3 points, or 0.10%, to 19,469.365. Source: Reuters
The Hang Seng plunged 168 points, or 0.9%, to close at 19,280 on Wednesday, falling for a third straight session and hitting a six-week low as losses spread across sectors. Risk-off sentiment prevailed as traders grappled with uncertainty over U.S. interest rates and policy under incoming President Trump. Caution also persisted ahead of China's March National People's Congress, with investors expecting limited policy action for the time being. Meanwhile, Chinese officials criticized Washington's decision this week to blacklist several Chinese technology companies over alleged military...