The European stock markets closed mostly higher in Thursday trading as the Stoxx Europe 600 rose 0.92%, Germany's DAX climbed 1.12%, the FTSE 100 was off 0.69%, France's CAC increased 0.97%, and the Swiss Market Index was up 0.80%. In Germany, price-adjusted production in the manufacturing sector declined 1.9% in June compared with May, according to preliminary data from the Federal Statistical Office, falling to its lowest level since May 2020 during the COVID pandemic. In the UK, house prices rose 0.4% in July from June, the highest monthly rise since the start of the year, according to...
The Stoxx Europe 600 index provisionally rose by 0.1%. Regionally, the FTSE 100 was higher by 0.2% and Germany's DAX was up 0.6%. France's CAC 40 bucked the trend by closing flat. Within the Stoxx 600 index, miners Anglo American and Antofagasta were among the biggest gainers, alongside defense giants Rheinmetall, Saab and Hensoldt Balfour Beatty shares rose 2.7% after the company said it won a £833 million contract to help build the world's first gas-fired power station for Net Zero Teeside Power, a joint venture between BP and Equinor. The British construction firm said that the...
US stocks edged higher on Thursday, with the S&P 500 rising 0.4% to approach record levels, the Nasdaq 100 adding 0.5% to surpass the fresh high topped the day before and the Dow Jones adding more than 200 points, supported by growing expectations that the Fed may cut interest rates sooner than previously anticipated. The WSJ reported that President Trump is considering announcing his nominee for the next Fed Chair early, potentially installing a "shadow" chair who could push for a more dovish policy stance. Meanwhile, fresh economic data showed the US economy contracted more than...
The Hang Seng dropped 149 points or 0.6% to 24,325 on Thursday, snapping the four-day winning streak and retreating from a three-month high amid broad losses and profit-taking. Investor caution resurfaced on worries that Wall Street's recent rally may have outpaced economic fundamentals, especially with persistent macro and geopolitical risks. On Capitol Hill, Fed Chair Powell stated the Fed remains cautious in evaluating how tariffs are influencing consumer prices. Pharma stocks weighed heavily on the index, with sharp declines in Innovent Biologics (-4.5%), Wuxi Biologics (-2.7%), and...
European stocks edged up on Thursday, helped by signs that an Israel-Iran ceasefire appears to be holding, while U.S. President Donald Trump's latest criticism of the Federal Reserve chairman revived concerns over the central bank's independence. The pan-European STOXX 600 index opened up 0.3% at 538.75 points, as of 0707 GMT. Other major regional indexes were also trading higher. On Wednesday, Trump called Fed Chairman Jerome Powell "terrible" and said he had three or four people in mind as contenders for the Fed's top job. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump has been toying with...
Japanese stocks rose after the close on Thursday (6/26), as gains in the Real Estate, Banking and Textile sectors boosted shares. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 rose 1.66% to hit a fresh 3-month high. The best performers on the Nikkei 225 were Ebara Corp. (TYO:6361), which rose 9.84% or 239.00 points to trade at 2,667.50 at the close. Meanwhile, Alps Electric Co., Ltd. (TYO:6770) rose 5.62% or 82.50 points to close at 1,551.50 and SoftBank Group Corp. (TYO:6770) gained 1.66% or 23.00 points to close at 2,667.50. (TYO:9984) rose 5.52% or 514.00 points to 9,830.00 at the close. The...