European stocks posted slight declines on Monday (July 21st) as markets continued to assess the trade outlook in the European Union. The Eurozone STOXX 50 fell 0.3% to close at 5,342, and the pan-European STOXX 600 fell 0.1% to 546. US officials maintained the threat of 30% tariffs on EU exports while the EU Commission continued to negotiate lower tariffs ahead of the August 1st deadline. Meanwhile, the EU also signaled that aggressive retaliation would be pursued if no deal was reached, risking escalation and higher prices in the bloc. Shares of luxury goods giants led the decline in the...
Japan's Nikkei 225 Index slipped 0.19% to close at 39,569 on Friday, reversing early gains as a sharp sell-off in Fast Retailing dragged the broader market lower. Shares of the Uniqlo parent tumbled 6.9% after the company warned that recently announced US tariffs would significantly impact its US operations later this year, prompting plans to raise prices in response. The warning came days after US President Donald Trump unveiled a 25% tariff on Japanese goods, set to take effect on August 1—further straining US-Japan trade ties. In response, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reiterated the...
Shares in Hong Kong jumped 424 points or 1.8% to 24,454 on Friday morning, extending gains from the prior session and hitting a two-week high. The uptrend tracked record closes on Wall Street, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq reaching fresh highs. Optimism also mounted over a more coordinated policy response from China after June's producer prices posted the steepest drop in nearly two years. All sectors climbed, led by tech, financials, and consumer stocks. The market is up about 2% so far this week, rebounding from losses in the previous one. However, further gains were capped by caution...
The Nikkei 225 Index rose 0.1% to around 39,690 while the broader Topix Index gained 0.35 to 2,820 on Friday, recouping losses from the previous session and tracking Wall Street higher, where the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite closed at new record highs. Investors, however, remained cautious amid growing tensions in US-Japan trade relations. US President Donald Trump announced a 25% tariff on Japanese goods, set to take effect on August 1. In response, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba emphasized the need to reduce the country's reliance on the US in critical sectors such as defense,...
Asia-Pacific markets rose at the open Friday, tracking Wall Street gains after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite closed at new record highs as investors seemed to shake off tariff concerns. Good morning from Singapore! The weather forecast is a bit bleak, but Asia-Pacific markets appear set for a bright open. Futures for Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 in Chicago were at 39,795, while their counterpart in Osaka last traded at 39,740 compared with the index's last close of 39,646.36. Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng index stood at 24,032, pointing to a slightly higher open compared to...
US stocks closed mostly higher on Thursday (July 10th) as investors shrugged off President Trump's latest tariff threats and focused on strong corporate performance and record-breaking profits. The S&P 500 rose nearly 0.3%, hitting a new record, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 192 points, while the Nasdaq 100 fell about 0.2%. Despite Trump's announcement of a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports and confirmation of similar duties on copper and other goods starting August 1st, the market remained optimistic. Nvidia shares (0.7%) continued to rally after becoming the first public...