European stocks closed lower for a third session amid persistent concerns about US tariffs. The Eurozone STOXX 50 index fell 1% to 5,288, and the pan-European STOXX 600 index fell 0.5% to 544. US Treasury Secretary Bessent noted that White House officials were prioritizing trade agreements they considered beneficial rather than rushing to reach a deal before the August 1 deadline, which could potentially pave the way for the imposition of 30% tariffs on the EU before negotiations conclude. Defense stocks were among the biggest decliners, with Rheinmetall, BAE Systems, and Thales falling...
S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures edged up 0.1% and 0.2%, respectively, on Thursday morning (July 17), while the Dow Jones Industrial Average remained flat. What caused this? Investors were digesting a series of new economic data from the US, which suggested the economy remains quite strong. This increase reflects market caution in responding to mixed sentiment, from economic strength to major corporate earnings reports. Released data showed that US retail sales rose 0.6% in June, well above market expectations of 0.1%. Meanwhile, jobless claims fell to 221,000, indicating a still-solid...
The Hang Seng Index weakened 19 points, or nearly 0.1%, to close at 24,499 on Thursday (July 17th), declining for the second consecutive session due to continued profit-taking after the benchmark index hit a four-month high earlier in the week. Slight declines in US index futures ahead of key retail sales data later in the day also weighed on sentiment. Meanwhile, concerns over escalating US tariffs persisted after President Trump announced plans to send letters to more than 150 countries, outlining potential tariffs of between 10% and 15%. He described most of the letter recipients as "not...
The STOXX 50 rose 0.9% and the STOXX 600 gained 0.6% on Thursday, marking their first advances in six and five consecutive sessions, respectively, as investor attention shifted to corporate earnings. Chip stocks rebounded from sharp losses the previous day, supported by upbeat results from TSMC. Notable gains included ASML Holding (+2.7%), Infineon Technologies (+2%), and STMicroelectronics (+3.7%). ABB jumped more than 7% after reporting record order intake and Volvo added 0.7% after reporting better-than-expected earnings, with signs of recovery in Europe helping to offset weak truck...
The Nikkei 225 rose 0.6% to close at 39,901, while the broader Topix climbed 0.7% to 2,840 on Thursday, snapping early losses and rebounding from a slight dip in the previous session. The benchmark index hit its highest level in two weeks, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street after US President Donald Trump denied plans to dismiss Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Investors also digested Japan's latest trade data, which showed declines in exports to the U.S. and China, offset by strong gains in shipments to the EU, ASEAN, and Russia. However, upside momentum was limited by growing...
The Hong Kong stock market was little changed on Thursday morning deals, after closing slightly lower the day before. The Hang Seng hovered around 24,516 in a choppy session, with modest gains in property and financial stocks offset by subdued performance in tech and consumers. Meanwhile, U.S. futures fell notably after overnight Wall Street gains, as sentiment shifted despite President Trump's assurance that he has no plans to remove Fed Chair Powell. On the trade front, Trump announced plans to issue a single letter to over 150 countries, detailing the tariff rates they would face. He...