The Hang Seng closed almost flat at 24,911 on Wednesday after dipping slightly in morning deals. Traders digested comments from President Trump, who said the U.S. was close to a trade deal with China and that he would meet President Xi before year-end if an agreement is reached. Investors also looked ahead to key Chinese economic data, including trade figures on Thursday and inflation on Saturday, amid concerns over rising trade barriers and persistent deflation risks. At the same time, markets braced for a possible new U.S. tariff announcement targeting semiconductors and chips, expected...
Japanese stocks were down after the close on Monday, March 24, as losses in the Shipbuilding, Manufacturing and Services sectors led shares lower. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 was down 0.15%. The best performers on the Nikkei 225 were Sumitomo Realty & Development Co. (TYO:8830), which rose 10.52% or 575.00 points to trade at 6,042.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Tokyo Tatemono Co., Ltd. (TYO:8804) gained 4.94% or 123.50 points to close at 2,623.00 and Mitsubishi Estate Co Ltd (TYO:8802) gained 4.85% or 114.50 points to 2,474.00 in late trade. The worst performers on the session...
Hong Kong stocks were little changed in early trade on Monday, steady at around 23,686 after falling sharply in the previous two sessions. Property and financial stocks were lower, while gains in tech stocks and sluggish consumer staples provided little support. Traders approached President Trump's upcoming April 2 deadline for reciprocal tariffs with caution, hoping for a more targeted approach in this round of levies. On the local front, data showed that Hong Kong's current account surplus jumped to HK$96.3 billion in Q4 2024, up from HK$61.5 billion a year earlier, driven by higher...
The Nikkei 225 Index edged up 0.2% to above 37,700, while the Topix Index slipped 0.3% to 2,795 in mixed trading on Monday. Japanese stocks struggled for direction as US President Donald Trump's April 2 deadline for reciprocal tariffs weighed on sentiment. However, Trump hinted on Friday that there could be "flexibility" in his plan, and weekend reports suggested the tariffs may be narrower in scope, potentially sparing certain industries. Domestically, fresh data showed that Japan's private sector activity contracted for the first time in five months, with manufacturing extending its...
Asia-Pacific markets opened mostly lower on Monday (3/24) as U.S. President Donald Trump's April 2 tariff deadline looms. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.37%. South Korea's Kospi fell 0.36%, while the small-cap Kosdaq fell 0.05%. Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.28% at the open while the Topix gained 0.13%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng futures last traded at 23,657, lower than the HSI's last close of 23,689.72. Over the weekend, Chinese Premier Li Qiang warned of "rising instability" and called on countries to open up markets and businesses. U.S. stock futures were higher, signaling that equities...
The S&P 500 inched higher on Friday, ending four consecutive weeks of declines that were brought on by trade policy turmoil, recession fears and a rollover in megacap tech shares. The S&P 500 added 0.08%, rising into positive territory as the trading session drew to a close. The broad market index ended the day at 5,667.56. The Nasdaq Composite gained 0.52% and settled at 17,784.05, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 32.03 points, or 0.08%, to close at 41,985.35. The broad-market S&P 500 posted a 0.5% weekly advance, averting a fifth straight week of losses. The...