Asia-Pacific markets opened mixed Wednesday, following gains on Wall Street ahead of a potential U.S. government shutdown as lawmakers continue to wrangle over details of a second temporary spending bill. Investors in Asia will look toward the Reserve Bank of India's rate decision late Wednesday. Japan's Nikkei 225 sunk 0.2% at its open, while the broad based Topix was down 0.85%. In South Korea, the blue-chip Kospi was up 0.94%, and the small-cap Kosdaq gained 0.84%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.32% in early trade. Markets on mainland China and Hong Kong were closed for a...
US stocks closed at new highs on Friday (September 19), continuing their record-breaking rally from the previous session as investors digested upbeat corporate earnings reports, the Fed's first interest rate cut in 2025, and signs of progress in US-China relations. The S&P 500 rose 0.5%, surpassing the 6,600 level, the Nasdaq 100 gained 0.7%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 172 points, surpassing the 46,300 level for the first time. FedEx jumped 2.3% after reporting better-than-expected results, while Apple jumped 3.2% on a J.P. Morgan price target increase and the launch of...
European stocks closed slightly higher on Friday (September 19th) as strength in the heavyweight financial sector offset mixed movements elsewhere, while markets continued to assess key monetary policy decisions for the week. The Eurozone STOXX 50 rose 0.2% to 5,467, and the pan-European STOXX 600 was flat at 555. The Bank of Japan kept interest rates unchanged as expected but surprised markets by announcing plans to begin unwinding its massive holdings of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Traders also monitored a phone call between U.S. and Chinese Presidents Trump and Xi, with both leaders...
US equities were higher on Friday, extending momentum after the three major benchmarks notched fresh record closes in the previous session. For the week, the S&P 500 and Dow Jones are each up 0.7%, while the Nasdaq has gained 1.5% so far, supported by the Fed's first rate cut of the year and expectations of further easing in 2025. Traders also monitored a call between President Trump and President Xi for potential updates on trade negotiations. Meanwhile, a $5 trillion quarterly triple-witching options expiry takes place today, although volatility is expected to remain limited. Consumer...
The Hang Seng ended flat at 26,545 on Friday, as gains in tech and consumer stocks offset losses in financials and property. The index reversed early gains ahead of talks between China's leader Xi Jinping and U.S. President Trump today. Meanwhile, traders digested news that developer DeepSeek trained its new model with costs well below those reported by U.S. rivals. On the mainland, stocks dropped further after the PBoC signaled no urgency to ease policy despite weak August output. Meantime, U.S. futures were subdued after Thursday's Fed-driven rally amid a shift toward an easing...
The STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 hovered near the flatline on Friday as investors digested a week filled with monetary policy decisions. The Bank of Japan left interest rates unchanged as expected but surprised markets by announcing plans to begin unwinding its massive exchange-traded fund holdings. Traders also monitored a call between US President Trump and Chinese President Xi for signals on trade negotiations. On the corporate side, SAP (-0.9%) and ASML Holding (-1%) slipped into the red, while Airbus (+1.7%) and Banco Santander (+0.6%) posted gains. Source: Trading Economics