Wall Street's three major indexes managed to close Tuesday's choppy session higher, marking quarterly and monthly gains, even as investors braced for a U.S. government shutdown, which would delay key economic reports and muddy the Federal Reserve's interest rate policy outlook. With investors having bet for some time on a spate of further Fed rate cuts, the benchmark S&P 500, the tech-heavy Nasdaq and the Dow all gained for the second quarter in a row. For the S&P 500 and the Dow, it also marked their fifth straight monthly gain while the Nasdaq registered its sixth straight monthly...
European shares reversed their earlier declines to close slightly higher on Tuesday, with energy stocks limiting broader gains, while investors weighed the potential impact of a U.S. government shutdown on financial markets. The pan-European STOXX 600 closed 0.5% higher, in its third consecutive session of gains. The index logged a quarterly rise and a third month in positive territory, its best showing since May. London's FTSE 100 hit an intraday record high. Most sectors were on the rise, with media stocks gaining 1.2% and retail up 1.1%. Industrial and healthcare stocks provided the...
US stocks were little changed on Tuesday, with the three major indexes hovering around the flatline as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of a potential government shutdown that could disrupt the release of key labor data later this week. The government faces the risk of shutting down tomorrow if Democrats and Republicans fail to reach a deal today, putting Friday's payrolls report at risk. Traders also awaited the JOLTS job openings data due later in the day. Energy and communication services were the worst performing sectors while utilities outperformed. Microsoft (-0.6%), Amazon...
The Hang Seng climbed 233 points, or 0.9%, to close at 26,855 on Tuesday, reversing early losses to hit a two-week high on broad-based gains. The index jumped 7% in September, its fifth straight monthly advance, and posted a third quarterly gain of 11.6%, fueled by AI optimism, strong inflows, and bets of fresh policy support from Beijing ahead of the October plenum. Still, upside was capped by U.S. political uncertainty, with Vice President Vance warning the government was "headed to a shutdown" amid stalled budget talks. Profit-taking also weighed as traders braced for China's week-long...
European stocks were set to wrap up September with the best performance since 2019, as optimism around resilient US economic growth and lower interest rates lifted risk appetite. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index was little changed by 8:17 a.m. in London. The gauge has gained nearly 1% in September during a typically weak seasonal period. Financial services and media sectors outperformed, while energy and chemicals shares were the biggest laggards. In individual stocks, Asos Plc dropped 10% as it warned full-year earnings would be at the lower end of expectations as the online fast...