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...
US stocks closed higher on Friday, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq each up 1.6%, while the Dow gained 601 points. Investors weighed a tense exchange between President Donald Trump and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. Vance called Zelensky "disrespectful," while Trump accused Zelensky of "gambling with World War III." Trump's tariff threats also rekindled warnings of retaliation from China, raising uncertainty, especially in Big Tech. Economic data sent mixed signals: Core PCE inflation eased to 2.6% as expected, but consumer spending unexpectedly fell 0.2% in January. Nvidia...
European stocks pared early morning gains but still closed slightly lower on Friday, ending a volatile week as markets continued to assess the impact of U.S. tariffs on the EU on the European economy. The Eurozone STOXX 50 fell 0.4% to close at 5,451, not too far from a record high hit last week, while the STOXX 600 closed just below the flatline at 557, just below Wednesday's all-time high. Technology stocks led the declines as markets weighed the cautious outlook for the U.S. tech sector and potential tariffs from Washington, with ASML and Infineon down 3-1% and 2.2% respectively. In turn,...
The S&P 500 hovered around the flatline, the Nasdaq fell about 0.6% and the Dow Jones gained nearly 90 points on Friday, with the tech sector remaining under pressure and traders digesting the latest PCE report and escalating trade tensions. Nvidia shares dropped 2%, extending the previous session's sell-off after its quarterly results failed to impress investors. Also, Broadcom was down 0.8%, Tesla fell 0.9%, and Oracle slipped 2%. Meanwhile, PCE price data aligned with expectations, with annual rates easing slightly. This provided some relief over inflationary pressures and reinforced...
European markets opened in negative territory on Friday, after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened once again to slap tariffs on the EU and followed through with new levies on Canada and Mexico. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index was 0.5% lower during early trade, with almost every sector losing ground. All major bourses saw losses, with France's CAC 40 and the German Dax both down more than 0.5%. Regional markets ended Thursday's session lower after Trump threatened to impose 25% duties on imports from the EU, saying the tariffs would be announced "very soon" and apply to "cars and...
The Hang Seng plunged 777 points, or 3.3%, to close at 22,941 on Friday, falling for a second day after the U.S. slapped 10% tariffs on Chinese imports, adding to the 10% tariffs imposed on Feb. 4 to bring the total to 20%. In response, China vowed to take all "necessary" countermeasures, further escalating tensions between the two countries. The market extended its decline from a three-year high, down 2.3% weekly, as losses hit all sectors. The tech index plunged 5.3% after Nvidia's disappointing earnings, prompting profit-taking in stocks such as Horizon Robotics (-14.0%), Sunny Optical...