Hong Kong stocks fell for the second session, down 46 points or 0.2% to 25,469 on Wednesday morning, after U.S.-China trade talks ended without a meaningful breakthrough. While extending the current tariff truce remains possible, Treasury Secretary Bessent said President Trump will have the final say. Caution also prevailed ahead of the Fed's rate decision later today, with analysts noting most Fed officials prefer to wait and assess the inflationary impact of tariffs before acting, especially with Trump's August 1 tariff deadline looming. Tech shares led the fall, followed by consumers...
Shares in Hong Kong tumbled 486 points or 2.1% to 22,460 on Thursday morning session, marking the second session of decline amid a pullback in US futures as investors analyzed US President Trump's proposed levies of about 25% on autos, chip, and drug imports. Markets moved further away from their highest in over four months, hit earlier in the week, after the latest FOMC meeting minutes showed Fed officials were ready to hold interest rates steady due to stubborn US inflation and economic policy uncertainty. Mitigating further weakness, the PBoC's monthly fixing on its key lending rates...
The Nikkei 225 Index fell 0.9% to below 38,800, while the broader Topix Index dropped 0.8% to 2,745 on Thursday, extending losses from the previous session as concerns over US President Donald Trump's escalating tariff threats weighed on market sentiment. Trump recently announced plans to impose 25% tariffs on imports of autos, semiconductors, and pharmaceuticals—sectors that are crucial to Japan's economy. In addition, minutes from the latest US Federal Reserve meeting revealed that policymakers would prefer to see further progress on inflation before making additional interest rate cuts....
The S&P 500 rose to a record on Wednesday, as stocks held firm despite President Donald Trump's threats of more tariffs and the Federal Reserve's continued cautious stance. The S&P 500 rose 0.1%, notching its second straight record. The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.02%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was flat. Microsoft rose 1% and led the broader technology sector higher after the company unveiled its first quantum computing chip. Nvidia rose 1% while Tesla rose more than 2%. Analog Devices jumped nearly 10% after posting better-than-expected quarterly results on both top and...
European stocks closed sharply lower on Wednesday, retreating from the previous session's record highs amid downbeat corporate earnings and trade tensions, while investors weighed up the potential for a European bond issue. The eurozone STOXX 600 fell 1.4% to close at 5,458 and the pan-European STOXX 600 dropped 1% to close at 552. Financials and consumer discretionary stocks were among the biggest losers, with Allianz, Munich RE, Santander, Hermes and Inditex all down nearly 3%. Carmakers also tumbled after U.S. President Donald Trump hinted at tariffs on imported vehicles and parts....
US stocks were lower on Wednesday, with three major indexes slipping about 0.3%, as markets pulled back after the S&P 500 reached a record high in the previous session. Investor sentiment was weighed down by renewed concerns over trade tensions after President Donald Trump signaled he would likely impose 25% tariffs on automobile, semiconductor, and pharmaceutical imports, with an announcement expected as soon as April 2. Traders also awaited the release of the FOMC minutes later in the day for further insight into the Federal Reserve's policy outlook. In its January meeting, the...