Stocks in Hong Kong surged 413 points, or 1.6%, to 26,043 in early trade on the first trading day of 2026, rebounding from losses in the previous session as markets reopened after the New Year break. Sentiment was lifted by a marked rise in U.S. futures, following solid year-end gains on Wall Street in 2025. While U.S. equities underperformed the strong returns of the past two years, annual gains remained resilient despite a global sell-off triggered by tariff announcements in April. All sectors of the Hang Seng Index participated in the rally, led by tech, consumer, and property stocks....
The Nikkei index opened up around 0.7% to 48,976.51 in early trading on Tuesday, following the rebound in technology stocks on Wall Street overnight. The index's gains were led by chip stocks, which are sought after by investors. Kioxia Holdings surged around 11%, while Advantest rose around 5.3%, reflecting strong market interest in the semiconductor sector. In the currency market, USD/JPY traded steady at around 156.85, virtually unchanged from its closing position on Monday. Investors are also monitoring developments in Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's economic policies, which the market...
Asian stocks rallied, following Wall Street's gains, buoyed by confidence that the Federal Reserve could cut interest rates in December and a rebound in technology stocks. Japanese and South Korean stocks rose, while the index of Chinese companies listed in the US also rallied after President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping resumed talks following last month's tariff truce. Dovish comments from Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller, San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly, and New York Fed President John Williams reignited speculation of an interest rate cut. Currency markets now...
US stocks rallied at the start of the holiday-shortened week, with the S&P 500 rising 1.6%, the Nasdaq surging 2.6%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising more than 300 points as investors grew more confident that the Fed would soon ease policy. New York Fed President John Williams hinted at room for an interest rate cut in the near future, and Fed Governor Christopher Waller said recent labor market weakness makes a December rate cut plausible. According to CME FedWatch, futures markets currently have a roughly 79% probability of a 25-bps rate cut at the December 9-10 meeting....
European stocks recovered in afternoon trading and closed slightly higher on Monday (November 24th), paring losses from the previous week thanks to renewed dovish signals from key FOMC members. The Eurozone STOXX 50 rose 0.4% to 5,540, and the pan-European STOXX 600 gained 0.3% to 564. Technology stocks traded in the bloc closed sharply higher, following sentiment in US stocks that indicated a slight respite from last week's sell-off. Risk-sensitive sectors also benefited from Fed Chairman Waller's support for an interest rate cut next month. ASML rose 3% and Infineon jumped 3.5%, while...
European shares ended higher on Monday, boosted by technology-focused stocks as risk sentiment improved on growing expectations of a U.S. interest rate cut next month, while investors also focused on progress in the Ukraine peace plan. The pan-European STOXX 600 was up 0.31% to 563.83 points at close after the index logged its steepest weekly drop since late July on Friday. The upbeat momentum was led by Wall Street following dovish comments from U.S. Federal Reserve policymaker John Williams on Friday, signalling that interest rates could fall "in the near term". This bolstered the...