Stocks in Hong Kong surged 413 points, or 1.6%, to 26,043 in early trade on the first trading day of 2026, rebounding from losses in the previous session as markets reopened after the New Year break. Sentiment was lifted by a marked rise in U.S. futures, following solid year-end gains on Wall Street in 2025. While U.S. equities underperformed the strong returns of the past two years, annual gains remained resilient despite a global sell-off triggered by tariff announcements in April. All sectors of the Hang Seng Index participated in the rally, led by tech, consumer, and property stocks....
Stocks fell slightly on Tuesday as traders digested the delayed release of the November's jobs report. The S&P 500 fell 0.1%, while the Nasdaq Composite pulled back about 0.2%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average hovered around the flatline. November's jobs report came in better than expected, showing an increase of 64,000 jobs for the month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones predicted that nonfarm payrolls would grow by 45,000 in the period. However, the BLS reported that October shed 105,000 jobs. The unemployment rate also increased to 4.6%,...
The Hang Seng Index fell 393 points, or 1.5%, to 25,217 on Tuesday (December 16), closing at a nearly four-week low and extending the previous session's sharp decline as mainland Chinese stocks slumped further and traders grew nervous ahead of key US economic data this week. Meanwhile, China's economy showed more signs of slowing in November, with disappointing industrial output and retail sales. Property stocks led the decline amid concerns of a prolonged downturn, particularly after China Vanke said it would hold a second bondholder meeting after failing to secure approval to extend a...
European stocks are expected to open lower on Tuesday (December 16), reversing gains seen earlier in the week. Shortly after the opening bell, the pan-European Stoxx 600 index fell 0.2%, with most sectors and major bourses in negative territory. Developments in Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations remain in focus, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said over the weekend that Kyiv is willing to give up its NATO membership ambitions to secure a deal to end the war. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that after "long and very good talks" with European...
The Nikkei 225 index closed down 1.2% to 49,544.21 on Tuesday, dragged down by a defensive market mood ahead of tonight's US economic data release. Market participants tended to reduce risk, making selling easier to emerge despite the lack of major "bad news" from Japan. The wait-and-see sentiment grew stronger as the (slightly delayed) US jobs data was seen as potentially altering the direction of Fed interest rate expectations, while this week also featured a busy central bank calendar—including the Bank of Japan, which is widely expected to raise interest rates. This combination made...
Hong Kong shares dropped 371 points, or 1.4%, to 25,258 Tuesday morning's session, extending steep losses from the previous day as all sectors retreated. Risk appetite was burdened by declines in mainland markets after weak November data showed fragile industrial output and retail turnover amid soft external demand and shaky domestic conditions. Local equities neared their lowest in a week, following a negative lead from Wall Street, where AI and tech weakness persisted. Losses were partly offset by domestic data showing Hong Kong's manufacturing output rose for a fourth straight quarter in...