Europe's STOXX 600 closed at a record high on Wednesday, with healthcare stocks leading the way after a U.S.-Pfizer deal reduced uncertainty in the sector, while investors digested the beginning of a U.S. government shutdown. The pan-European STOXX 600 surged 1.2% to log its biggest one-day percentage gain since July 23. Most regional bourses were also trading higher, with London's FTSE 100 at a record high. Healthcare stocks jumped 5.4%, marking their biggest one-day performance since November 2008. On Tuesday, Pfizer agreed to lower prescription drug prices in the U.S. Medicaid programme...
Asia-Pacific markets traded largely lower Thursday as investors await the Bank of Korea policy decision. Japan's Nikkei 225 slid 0.52%, while the Topix tumbled 0.33%. South Korea's Kospi lost 0.43% and the small-cap Kosdaq dipped 0.15%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.1%. Australian rare earths producer Lynas Rare Earths plans to raise about A$750 million ($488 million) through a discounted share sale to boost its processing and exploration activities. The miner will issue stock at A$13.25, about a 10% discount compared to its last close. The company also announced that its shares have...
The S&P 500 ticked higher on Wednesday as investors turned their eyes to Nvidia earnings, which could be a make-or-break moment for the bull market. The broad market index ended the day up 0.2% at 6,481.38, setting a fresh all-time closing high. The Nasdaq Composite closed up 0.2% at 21,590.14 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 147 points, or 0.3%, to finish at 45,565.11. Shares of Nvidia, which account for roughly 8% of the S&P 500 and has the biggest weight in the benchmark according to FactSet data, were little changed. The market has been largely looking past Trump's...
Europe's STOXX 600 recovered slightly on Wednesday after a selloff in the previous session, as investors eyed political risks in France and awaited earnings from artificial intelligence chip leader Nvidia. The pan-European STOXX 600 index closed up 0.1%, a day after registering its largest drop in nearly a month. Most other regional bourses, however, closed in the red. France's CAC 40 bounced back 0.4% from a three-week low hit in the previous session's selloff sparked by concerns over a potential collapse of Prime Minister Francois Bayrou's government next month. Three main opposition...
US stocks were relatively close to the flatline on Wednesday, extending the tight range of trading this week to remain close to record highs as markets positioned for the release of Nvidia's results after today's closing bell, a bellwether for global artificial intelligence demand and confidence. The three main indices were close to the flatline. Nvidia was flat as it is expected to report a 37% growth in earnings in its second financial quarter, but markets will also scrutinize CEO Huang's rhetoric on the outlook of AI revenues after markets showed concerns of frothiness in tech stocks, in...
The Hang Seng Index plunged 323 points, or 1.3%, to close at 25,202 on Wednesday (August 27), reversing early gains and marking a second day of declines as selling swept across sectors. Sentiment worsened after several Chinese brokerages and asset managers reportedly reduced financing and limited purchases amid growing risks from the recent surge in Chinese stocks. Trading volume on Chinese stock exchanges reached CNY 3.1 trillion on Tuesday, the second-highest in history. Investors also grew cautious ahead of Nvidia's earnings release today and Friday's PCE index. Data-wise, China's...