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...
(Hong Kong) Morgan Stanley strategists have shifted their stance on Chinese equities, moving from long-standing scepticism to cautious optimism. This notable pivot aligns with Wall Street peers, as expectations grow for a sustainable rally driven by advancements in artificial intelligence and regulatory reforms. The firm's strategists, led by Laura Wang, now recommend an equal-weight position on Chinese stocks, forecasting the MSCI China Index to reach 77 by the end of 2025—a 22% increase from their earlier target and 4% higher than Wednesday's close. The index, which entered a bull market...
European markets are expected to open higher Thursday as investors monitor earnings reports from a raft of major European companies. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index is expected to open 10 points higher at 8,696, Germany's DAX up 49 points at 22,475, France's CAC up 16 points at 8,118 and Italy's FTSE MIB 32 points higher at 38,437, according to data from IG. Earnings are due from Accor, Schneider Electric, Mercedes, Zurich Insurance, Lloyds Banking Group, Centrica, Airbus, Hays, Anglo American, Renault, Repsol, Leonardo and Aegon. There are no major data releases Thursday.U.S. President Donald...
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...