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....
Asian markets are projected to strengthen on Thursday, following Wall Street's rally, which has risen four consecutive days ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. Japanese and mainland Chinese index futures signaled a positive opening, while Australian stocks rose earlier in the session and Hong Kong's were flat. In the US, the S&P 500 rose 0.7% and the Nasdaq 100 gained 0.9%, supported by expectations of an imminent Fed rate cut. Financial markets are now pricing in around an 80% chance of a 25 bps rate cut next month, with three more cuts planned by the end of 2026. The Fed's Beige Book...
Stocks rallied on Wednesday (November 26), pushing the major stock averages to their fourth straight day of gains ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 388 points, or 0.8%. The S&P 500 gained 0.9%, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 1%. The overall market rally was driven by artificial intelligence company Oracle, which surged more than 4% after Deutsche Bank reiterated its bullish stance on the company. Nvidia shares rose more than 1%, recovering from recent losses, while fellow "Magnificent Seven" member Microsoft traded more than 2% higher. "This...
The European stock markets closed higher in Wednesday trading as the Stoxx Europe gained 1.06%, Germany's DAX rose 0.98%, the FTSE 100 advanced 0.85%, France's CAC was up 0.88%, and the Swiss Market Index increased 0.40%. The European Central Bank reported in its Financial Stability Review for November that uncertainties around trade agreements," as well as the economic and financial effects of tariffs, "continue to shape the euro area financial stability landscape." The ECB said exposure to tariff-sensitive firms and stronger funding ties with non-banks could strain euro area banks during...
The Hang Seng inched up 33 points or 0.1% to finish at 25,928 on Wednesday, marking a third straight session of gain amid a rise in U.S. futures as recent economic data bolstered expectations of a Fed rate cut in December. Most sectors in the city advanced, led by property and financials, even as mainland markets eased ahead of industrial profit figures due Thursday. Locally, Hong Kong's exports held near a four-year high in October, while imports saw their strongest growth in five months. On the corporate front, Alibaba reported stronger-than-expected quarterly revenue, supported by rising...
Japanese stocks rose on Wednesday as artificial intelligence (AI)-related stocks rallied and hopes for a US interest rate cut grew. The Topix index rose 2% to 3,355.50 as of 3:30 p.m. Tokyo time, while the Nikkei 225 gained 1.8% to 49,559.07. Of the 1,668 stocks on the Topix index, 1,471 rose, only 166 fell, and 31 remained unchanged. The positive sentiment was largely driven by comments from Fed Governor Christopher Waller, who supported a December interest rate cut. This statement fueled speculation that borrowing costs in the US would fall, making the global investment climate more...