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...
The Hang Seng Index fell 121 points, or 0.5%, to close at 25,497 on Tuesday, after surging 2% in the previous session amid a sharp decline in US index futures ahead of the August jobs report and concerns over aggressive US trade policy. Technology stocks led the decline as traders took profits after a sharp rally in AI-related stocks. Property and consumer discretionary stocks also weakened, mirroring the weakness in mainland Chinese equities after three days of gains. The decline was partly offset by positive Chinese manufacturing growth in August, according to a private...
Stocks in Europe were little changed on Tuesday, with the STOXX 50 hovering around the flatline and the STOXX 600 slipping 0.2% after modest gains in the previous session. Investors are awaiting the release of Eurozone inflation data later today for fresh clues on how tariffs are influencing prices and what this could mean for the ECB's monetary policy outlook. Inflation is expected to hold steady at 2% in August. The central bank is widely anticipated to keep interest rates unchanged next week before resuming cuts in the autumn. On the corporate front, Nestlé shares dropped 2.7% following...
Japan stocks were higher after the close on Tuesday, as gains in the Real Estate, Banking and Textile sectors led shares higher. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 rose 0.35%. The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd. (TYO:3099), which rose 5.93% or 149.50 points to trade at 2,670.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Kirin Holdings Co., Ltd. (TYO:2503) added 5.38% or 116.50 points to end at 2,280.00 and Mitsui Mining and Smelting Co. (TYO:5706) was up 4.80% or 490.00 points to 10,705.00 in late trade. The worst performers of the session were...
The Hang Seng Index opened down by 29 points, or 0.11%, settling at 25,587 points. The Enterprise Index also declined, falling by 9 points or 0.11% to 9,111 points. Meanwhile, the Technology Index experienced a slight drop of 6 points, or 0.1%, bringing it to 5,792 points. In the technology sector, stock performances varied. Tencent saw a modest increase of 0.1%, while Alibaba gained 2%. Conversely, Meituan experienced a decline of 1.2%. Xiaomi Group rose by 0.1%, but JD.com and Kuaishou both dropped by 0.3%. In the financial sector, stocks exhibited mixed results. HSBC Holdings rose by...
The Nikkei 225 Index rose 0.4% to around 42,350, while the broader Topix Index added 0.3% to 3,072 on Tuesday, with Japanese shares snapping a two-day losing streak as risk sentiment improved. Investors weighed the global trade outlook after a US federal appeals court ruled that most of President Donald Trump's tariffs were unlawful, giving the administration until October 14 to appeal to the US Supreme Court. Domestically, attention turned to upcoming wage data that could shape monetary policy direction. Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda recently said wages are set to rise further amid a...