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%,...
European stocks closed sharply lower on Thursday after a brief uptick the previous day as investors weighed a fresh round of mixed corporate earnings and signs of higher unemployment in the US. The STOXX 50 fell 1% to 5,613 and the STOXX 600 fell 0.7% to 567. Commerzbank shares slipped 2% after the lender reported a surprise 7.9% year-on-year drop in net profit. Also, Diageo fell 6.5% following a downgrade to its full-year outlook, while Maersk lost 5.1% despite posting upbeat results and Rheinmetall fell 0.5% despite posting a 20% increase in sales. On the upside, DHL jumped 5.4% to rank...
Strong evidence of a cooling US labor market rippled through Wall Street, spurring a rally in bonds as traders boosted their bets the Federal Reserve will cut rates in December. A slide in megacaps dragged down stocks. With the scarcity of data caused by the federal shutdown, investors have turned to private readings such as the Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. report showing companies announced the most job cuts for any October in over 20 years. Following the numbers, money markets now imply an about 60% chance of a...
The Hang Seng Index rose 2.1% at 26,485.90 in Hong Kong. The move was the biggest since rising 2.4% on Oct. 20 and follows the previous session's decrease of 0.1%. Today, commerce and industry stocks led the market higher, as all sectors gained; 83 of 88 shares rose, while 4 fell. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. contributed the most to the index gain, increasing 4.1%. China Hongqiao Group Ltd. had the largest increase, rising 9.9%. Source : Bloomberg
European stocks opened lower on Thursday, as investors reacted to another flurry of corporate earnings. The pan-European Stoxx 600 was 0.3% lower 20 minutes into the session, with most sectors and major bourses in negative territory. France's CAC 40 led losses among major regional indexes, with a decline of 0.7%. It's a busy day for earnings with third-quarter reports due from a slew of regional companies. AstraZeneca CEO: ‘We decided to be cautious' AstraZeneca held its guidance steady on Thursday morning, after reporting better-than-expected third-quarter revenues and profit. Total...
The Nikkei 225 index closed up 1.34% to 50,883.68 on Thursday (November 6th), helped by solid US data: the ISM services index hit an eight-month high and the ADP added 42,000 jobs. Sentiment improved after valuation concerns eased, although the market now sees the chance of a Fed rate cut in December down to around 60% from 70% at the start of the week. Domestically, Japan's Services PMI remained in expansion at 53.1, while the composite PMI was at 51.5, and cash wages rose 1.9%, driven by a surge in bonuses. Corporate news: Nissan targets record profits from its headquarters sale-leaseback...