US stocks were little changed on Tuesday, with the three major indexes hovering around the flatline as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of a potential government shutdown that could disrupt the release of key labor data later this week. The government faces the risk of shutting down tomorrow if Democrats and Republicans fail to reach a deal today, putting Friday's payrolls report at risk. Traders also awaited the JOLTS job openings data due later in the day. Energy and communication services were the worst performing sectors while utilities outperformed. Microsoft (-0.6%), Amazon...
Japanese stocks are lower as the yen strengthened against the dollar overnight due to expectations for a Fed rate cut later Wednesday. Financial stocks are leading declines after U.S. Treasury yields dropped overnight. Japan Post Bank is down 2.1% and Dai-ichi Life Holdings is 2.7% lower. USD/JPY is at 146.27, down from 146.87 as of Tuesday's Tokyo stock market close. Investors are focusing on any developments related to the leadership election for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Japan. The Nikkei Stock Average is down 0.6% at 44618.33. Source: Bloomberg
US stocks edged lower on Tuesday (September 16th) as investors took profits ahead of the Federal Reserve's highly anticipated September policy meeting. The S&P 500 fell 0.1%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 125 points, and the Nasdaq Composite closed slightly below the flatline. Leading technology stocks including Nvidia, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Palantir declined, while financial and utility stocks also weighed on the overall market. Traders widely expect the Fed to cut interest rates by 25 basis points on Wednesday, marking its first rate cut since December, with the market...
European stocks closed sharply lower on Tuesday, pressured by aggressive losses in the financial sector as markets continued to assess the global interest rate outlook. The STOXX 50 fell 1.3% to 5,372, and the pan-European STOXX 600 fell 1.2% to 551. Traders were cautious ahead of this week's key monetary policy decisions from the Fed and the Bank of England, as well as Sino-US trade talks, while US President Trump began his visit to the UK today. Data-wise, the ZEW Economic Sentiment Index for Germany surprisingly showed an uptick, while UK employment data continued to indicate a slowdown...
The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq each gained 0.1% on Tuesday, setting fresh record highs after closing at all-time peaks in the previous session. The Dow Jones, however, hovered near the flatline. Investors stayed focused on the FOMC meeting, which begins today, with the Fed widely expected to deliver a 25bps rate cut tomorrow. On the data front, both retail sales and industrial production surprised to the upside, while export and import prices also exceeded forecasts. Still, the figures did little to alter market expectations for Fed policy. By sector, energy outperformed, while utilities and...
The Hang Seng ended little changed on Tuesday, hovering around 26,438 after dipping earlier in the session. Another record close on Wall Street Monday supported sentiment, as bets grew that the Fed will resume its easing cycle this week and leave the door open to further cuts. Strength in tech and consumer stocks helped offset weakness in property and financials, while traders digested a framework deal between the US and China to place TikTok under US-controlled ownership, with final approval expected in a Friday call between President Trump and Xi Jinping. The index tracked mainland...