European shares were flat on Wednesday, with gains in heavyweight healthcare stocks offsetting the decline in the broader market, as investors fretted over a potential delay in the closely-watched U.S. jobs data. The pan-European STOXX 600 held steady at 557.9 points by 0711 GMT, after posting its third successive monthly gain in September. Local bourses were mixed. Germany's DAX was down 0.5%, while the UK's FTSE 100 climbed 0.2% to an all-time high. Healthcare stocks jumped 2.7% after Pfizer and U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said they had cut a deal in which the drugmaker...
Wall Street ended mixed on Wednesday as tech strength offset broader market weakness, with investors weighing a favorable antitrust ruling for Google against signs of labor market softening. The S&P 500 gained 0.5% and the Nasdaq rose 1%, supported by a 9.1% surge in Alphabet shares after a judge allowed the company to keep Chrome and maintain its lucrative search deal with Apple, easing fears of a forced breakup. Apple stock rose 3.8%, helping boost confidence in Big Tech's resilience despite regulatory pressures. Conversely, the Dow fell 24 points as weakness in financials and energy...
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he plans to hold talks about the war in Ukraine in coming days after his Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in August failed to achieve a breakthrough. Trump has been frustrated at his inability to get a halt to the fighting, which began with Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, after he initially predicted he would be able to end the war swiftly when he took office last January. Trump said he would be holding talks in the next few days. A White House official said Trump is expected to speak on the phone on Thursday...
European shares ended higher on Wednesday, stabilising as investors assessed fiscal challenges after a selloff in longer-dated bonds had sparked risk-off sentiment in the previous session. The continent-wide STOXX 600 index closed 0.65% higher at 546.72 points, boosted by healthcare stocks such as Roche Holdings and AstraZeneca. Basic resources also extended support by rising 1.5%, influenced by a jump in copper prices on growing expectations of a U.S. interest rate cut later in the month. The day's moves follow the STOXX 600's biggest one-day loss in a month on Tuesday, driven by a...
A rally in the world's largest tech companies drove stocks higher as bonds rebounded after weak jobs data validated wagers the Federal Reserve will resume cutting rates in September. Equities extended gains and bond yields fell after data showed US job openings fell in July to the lowest in 10 months, reinforcing bets on at least two Fed reductions in 2025. Following a two-day slide, the S&P 500 also gained amid a court victory for Big Tech that saw Alphabet Inc. surging 8% as Google dodged a sale of its Chrome web...
The Hang Seng Index fell 153 points, or 0.6%, to close at 25,343 on Wednesday (September 3), weakening for a second day as global equities weakened on growing concerns over fiscal pressures worldwide. Meanwhile, Dow Jones futures were seen weakening, pressured by a sixth consecutive monthly decline in the US manufacturing sector. Adding to the uncertainty, a divided US appeals court ruled most of President Trump's tariffs illegal, though the measures will remain in place until October 14 pending a possible appeal to the Supreme Court. All sectors traded in the red after a military parade in...