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%,...
Japanese stocks rose on Wednesday as artificial intelligence (AI)-related stocks rallied and hopes for a US interest rate cut grew. The Topix index rose 2% to 3,355.50 as of 3:30 p.m. Tokyo time, while the Nikkei 225 gained 1.8% to 49,559.07. Of the 1,668 stocks on the Topix index, 1,471 rose, only 166 fell, and 31 remained unchanged. The positive sentiment was largely driven by comments from Fed Governor Christopher Waller, who supported a December interest rate cut. This statement fueled speculation that borrowing costs in the US would fall, making the global investment climate more...
European stocks are expected to open higher across the spectrum as expectations rise that the U.S. Federal Reserve will cut interest rates in December. The U.K.'s FTSE index is seen opening 0.25% higher, Germany's DAX up 0.7%, France's CAC 40 up 0.67% and Italy's FTSE MIB 0.64% higher, according to data from IG. Regional bourses look set to follow their counterparts on Wall Street and in the Asia-Pacific region higher amid expectations that the Fed will cut when it next meets on Dec. 9 and 10. Markets are pricing in almost an 85% chance of a quarter percentage point cut by the central...
Hong Kong stocks rose again for a third straight day on Wednesday, approaching their longest winning streak in two weeks. The Hang Seng Index rose 0.6% to 26,039.99, supported by tech stocks such as Meituan, which surged 6.6% ahead of its earnings release, ZTO Express (up 3.5%), BYD (up 2.7%), and JD.com (up 1.8%). Meanwhile, Alibaba edged down 0.1% after its September-quarter profit plunged 52% year-on-year, although the decline was still better than market expectations. Positive sentiment also spread to mainland China, with the CSI 300 index rising 0.5% and the Shanghai Composite Index...
Asian stock markets continued their rally for a third day, tracking gains on Wall Street. Indexes in Japan, South Korea, and Australia opened higher after the S&P 500 rose 0.9% and the Nasdaq 100 gained 0.6%. Meanwhile, markets also focused on Chinese stocks after Alibaba weakened in US trading following its earnings report. This positive sentiment arose after US consumer confidence data for November fell sharply and retail sales rose only slightly. The data signaled that consumer spending was beginning to slow after several months of strong demand, reinforcing market expectations that...
Japanese stocks rose early in the session as the market remained hopeful that the Fed would cut interest rates, following Wall Street's overnight rally. The electronics and technology sectors were the driving force, with Lasertec shares rising 2.8%, Murata Manufacturing up 2.7%, and SoftBank Group also rebounding, rising 2.3% after earlier weakness. On the currency side, the USD/JPY pair hovered around 156.16, down slightly from 156.74 at the Tokyo market close on Tuesday. Investors also continued to monitor Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's economic policies to gauge the direction of Japan's...