European equity markets extended their rally on the first trading day of 2026, with benchmark indices pushing to fresh record highs despite thin liquidity following the New Year holiday. Gains were led by defense stocks, underpinned by persistent geopolitical tensions and expectations of increased military spending across the region. The STOXX 50 climbed 0.7% to a new all-time high of 5,830 points, while the broader STOXX 600 rose 0.4% to a record 595 points. The strong start to the year follows a robust performance in 2025, when the STOXX 50 advanced about 18% and the STOXX 600 rose 17%,...
Asia Pacific stock markets opened quietly on Wednesday morning, with investors awaiting the release of key economic data from the United States and signals on interest rate policy from the Federal Reserve. Major indices moved steadily after several days of volatility, indicating market caution ahead of the US central bank meeting. In Japan, the yen strengthened slightly against the US dollar on speculation of a Bank of Japan interest rate hike. Meanwhile, Tokyo and Hong Kong stock markets opened flat, with investors monitoring global developments and geopolitical situations that continue to...
The Nikkei index has the potential to rise in today's trading after Wall Street rallied overnight. Nikkei futures on the SGX rose around 0.6% to 49,590, signaling a fairly positive start. On Tuesday, the Nikkei closed nearly flat at 49,303.45, so the market is still waiting for a new trigger for a clearer move. On the foreign exchange market, the USD/JPY pair was at 155.83, slightly higher than the Tokyo stock market's closing position on Tuesday of 155.78. This slight weakening of the yen against the dollar typically benefits Japanese exporters, as their dollar earnings appear higher when...
US stocks rebounded on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 rising 0.3%, the Nasdaq up 0.9%, and the Dow Jones up 200 points as the market pared earlier losses and rebounded after Monday's sharp sell-off. Bitcoin's rebound supported risk appetite, while complex AI and software helped stabilize sentiment, with Nvidia up 0.9% and Palantir up 1.9%, although Broadcom fell 1.2% amid profit-taking. The gains were driven less by a string of big tech stocks than previously, but more by a string of high-flying stocks, including Boeing, which surged about 10.2%, Intel, which rose nearly 8.7%, and AppLovin,...
US stocks were higher on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 gaining 0.3%, the Nasdaq up 0.7%, and the Dow Jones adding about 20 points, attempting to rebound from Monday's losses. The risk-off mood that dominated the previous session eased, helped in part by a rebound in the Japanese bond market. Traders are also awaiting a series of economic releases due this week, including the September PCE report, ahead of next week's FOMC meeting, where the Fed is widely expected to cut the federal funds rate by 25 bps. Market pricing places the odds of such a move at around 87%. The tech sector booked the...
European stocks traded in mixed territory on Tuesday, with shares struggling to find momentum after a broad sell-off marked the first day of the new month. Shortly after the opening bell, the pan-European Stoxx 600 hovered just above the flatline, with no consensus movement seen among sectors and major bourses. Regional stocks traded lower on Monday, marking a gloomy start to the last trading month of the year in which investors are now expecting the U.S. Federal Reserve to cut interest rates when it meets on Dec. 9-10. Traders are pricing in an 87.2% chance of a quarter-point rate cut,...