The Nasdaq marked a record closing high on Thursday with support from the technology sector while the benchmark S&P 500 barely managed to notch a record close as investors cautiously monitored private labor market data in the second day of a U.S. government shutdown. The benchmark index's valuation was around its highest level since 2020, with help from heavyweight technology companies including AI chip leader Nvidia and Broadcom. With no official government data available because of the shutdown, investors were monitoring information from other sources. A report from global...
Asia-Pacific markets traded higher Thursday, breaking ranks with Wall Street that fell overnight as a stronger-than-expected U.S. inflation reading diminished prospects of policy easing by the U.S. Federal Reserve. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.15%, hitting a record intraday high of 8,575.2, surpassing its previous peak of 8,566.9 scaled on Jan. 31. Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 1.1% while the Topix climbed 0.91%. South Korea's Kospi traded 0.71% higher, while the small-cap Kosdaq traded around the flatline. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index climbed 0.58% while mainland China's CSI 300 traded...
Hong Kong's equities surged 283 points, or 1.3%, to 22,140 in early trading on Thursday, marking the second consecutive day of gains and reaching a four-month high. Most sectors advanced, buoyed by optimism over a potential peace deal between Ukraine and Russia following phone calls between US President Trump, Russian President Putin, and Ukrainian President Zelenskiy. Hang Seng Index up, buoyed by investor optimism over a potential resolution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. After opening 100 points higher at 21,958, the benchmark index extended its gains, climbing as much as 228 points to...
Asia-Pacific markets traded higher Thursday, breaking ranks with Wall Street that fell overnight as a stronger-than-expected U.S. inflation reading diminished prospects of policy easing by the U.S. Federal Reserve. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.26%. Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 1.1% while the Topix climbed 0.91%. South Korea's Kospi traded 0.71% higher, while the small-cap Kosdaq traded around the flatline. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index climbed 0.58% while mainland China's CSI 300 traded flat. Overnight in the U.S., the S&P 500 tumbled and bond yields spiked after consumer prices rose...
The Nikkei 225 Index rose 1.1% to surpass 39,300, while the broader Topix Index climbed 0.9% to 2,757 on Thursday, extending the previous session's gains. Nearly all sectors participated in the rally, fueled by a strong corporate earnings season that lifted market sentiment in Japan. This came despite a rise in producer inflation, which reached a 20-month high in January. Japanese stocks also brushed off the hotter-than-expected US consumer inflation data, which strengthened the case for the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates steady. Among the top performers were Advantest (+3.6%),...
Asia-Pacific markets opened higher Thursday, breaking ranks with Wall Street that fell overnight as a stronger-than-expected U.S. inflation reading diminished prospects of policy easing by the U.S. Federal Reserve. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.2%. Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.54% while the Topix climbed 0.52%. South Korea's Kospi traded 0.34% higher, while the small-cap Kosdaq rose 0.45%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index futures were at 22,072, also higher than the HSI's last close of 21,857.92. Overnight in the U.S., the S&P 500 tumbled and bond yields spiked after consumer prices...