The S&P 500 rose 0.4% on Friday (July 25), notching its fifth consecutive record close—its longest streak in more than a year—while the Nasdaq 100 gained 0.2% after hitting an intraday high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 208 points as investors digested a wave of trade developments and corporate earnings. Optimism surrounding trade talks contributed to the rally, with President Trump scheduled to meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday amid hopes of a US-EU deal. Deals were also reached with Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines ahead of the...
The S&P 500 rose to within a whisker of a new record Thursday, the culmination of a stunning comeback from lows set in April as the benchmark overcame a wall of worries that included tariff fights, wars and sticky inflation. The broad market index climbed 0.8% to close at 6,141.02, bringing its gain on the week to 2.9% and putting it just a few points away from the intraday all-time high hit in late February of 6,147.43. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.97% to 20,167.91, itself inches away from a new record. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 404.41 points, or 0.94%, to...
The Stoxx Europe 600 index provisionally rose by 0.1%. Regionally, the FTSE 100 was higher by 0.2% and Germany's DAX was up 0.6%. France's CAC 40 bucked the trend by closing flat. Within the Stoxx 600 index, miners Anglo American and Antofagasta were among the biggest gainers, alongside defense giants Rheinmetall, Saab and Hensoldt Balfour Beatty shares rose 2.7% after the company said it won a £833 million contract to help build the world's first gas-fired power station for Net Zero Teeside Power, a joint venture between BP and Equinor. The British construction firm said that the...
US stocks edged higher on Thursday, with the S&P 500 rising 0.4% to approach record levels, the Nasdaq 100 adding 0.5% to surpass the fresh high topped the day before and the Dow Jones adding more than 200 points, supported by growing expectations that the Fed may cut interest rates sooner than previously anticipated. The WSJ reported that President Trump is considering announcing his nominee for the next Fed Chair early, potentially installing a "shadow" chair who could push for a more dovish policy stance. Meanwhile, fresh economic data showed the US economy contracted more than...
The Hang Seng dropped 149 points or 0.6% to 24,325 on Thursday, snapping the four-day winning streak and retreating from a three-month high amid broad losses and profit-taking. Investor caution resurfaced on worries that Wall Street's recent rally may have outpaced economic fundamentals, especially with persistent macro and geopolitical risks. On Capitol Hill, Fed Chair Powell stated the Fed remains cautious in evaluating how tariffs are influencing consumer prices. Pharma stocks weighed heavily on the index, with sharp declines in Innovent Biologics (-4.5%), Wuxi Biologics (-2.7%), and...
European stocks edged up on Thursday, helped by signs that an Israel-Iran ceasefire appears to be holding, while U.S. President Donald Trump's latest criticism of the Federal Reserve chairman revived concerns over the central bank's independence. The pan-European STOXX 600 index opened up 0.3% at 538.75 points, as of 0707 GMT. Other major regional indexes were also trading higher. On Wednesday, Trump called Fed Chairman Jerome Powell "terrible" and said he had three or four people in mind as contenders for the Fed's top job. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump has been toying with...