The Hang Seng Index plunged 404 points, or 1.6%, to close at 24,773 on Thursday (July 31), marking its third consecutive decline and its lowest close in two weeks. Sentiment worsened after China's official PMI showed services activity grew at its slowest pace in eight months and factory output fell the most in six months, amid rising trade barriers and extreme weather. Meanwhile, US President Trump's "reciprocal" tariff suspension is set to expire on Friday, with only eight trade deals reached in the past 120 days. On the monetary front, Fed Chairman Powell dismissed expectations of a...
Japanese stocks were down after the close on Wednesday (07/05), as losses in the Paper & Pulp, Transportation and Communications sectors led shares lower. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 was down 0.20%. The best performers on the Nikkei 225 were Marubeni Corp. (TYO:8002), which rose 6.39% or 162.00 points to trade at 2,698.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Japan Airlines Co Ltd (TYO:9201) gained 5.25% or 138.00 points to close at 2,767.50 and Sompo Holdings Inc (TYO:8630) gained 4.75% or 215.00 points to 4,745.00 in late trade. The worst performers on the session were Eisai Co., Ltd....
Hong Kong markets jumped more than 2% to lead gains in Asia-Pacific after China's central bank and financial regulator announced sweeping plans to cut benchmark interest rates in a bid to shore up growth amid trade concerns. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 2.07%. Elsewhere, markets in the region were mostly higher after reports that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and trade representative Jamieson Greer will meet their Chinese counterparts this week. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.22% while the Topix gained 0.38%. South Korea's Kospi gained 0.32% while the small-cap Kosdaq...
The Nikkei 225 and Topix indexes rose on Wednesday, with Japanese shares holding near a one-month high as optimism over potential US-China trade talks lifted market sentiment. Reports that senior US officials will meet with their Chinese counterparts in Switzerland this week fueled hopes for easing tensions, supporting gains across global markets. Investors are also monitoring developments in ongoing bilateral US-Japan trade talks, with Tokyo aiming to finalize a deal by June. Adding to the positive tone, Japan's services PMI for April was revised up, showing the strongest increase in new...
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) followed the broader stock market lower on Tuesday, with equities taking a soft hit ahead of the Federal Reserve's (Fed) upcoming rate call on Wednesday. Investors are also awaiting any meaningful update from the Trump administration on a slew of trade deals that are allegedly in the works. Still, details remain light to the point of being non-existent. The Fed is broadly expected to keep rates on hold on Wednesday, but Fed talking points will be taking on added significance for market participants hoping for signs of a pivot into a rate-cutting cycle...
The S&P 500 stocks fell Tuesday as investors assessed a lack of updates on U.S.-China trade progress and awaited the Federal Reserve rate decision due Wednesday. At 12:53 ET (16:53 GMT), the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 327 points, or 0.8%, the S&P 500 index slipped 0.7%, and the NASDAQ Composite fell 190 points, or 0.8%. Trump says China willing to negotiate on trade, but stops shorts of signalling progress President Donald Trump said China wanted to negotiate a trade deal to end the current trade war, but stopped short of signalling urgency to resolve the conflict, saying...