Hong Kong shares were little changed in Friday morning deals, hovering around 26,165 after two sessions of declines, as weakness in property and financials was offset by gains in tech and consumer stocks. Traders assessed China's CPI data showing consumer prices flat in 2025, below the official target of around 2%, even as December inflation hit a near 3-year high of 0.8%. Meanwhile, producer prices in the country fell for the 39th straight month, although the pace of decline eased slightly. In the U.S., stock futures were steady ahead of key jobs data, while the Supreme Court prepared to...
European stocks weakened slightly on Wednesday (October 29, 2025), after several consecutive days of record highs. The STOXX 600 index fell by around -0.3% to 576 points, while the STOXX 50 also corrected from its peak. Investors chose to hold positions while awaiting key data and policy decisions from the Federal Reserve (The Fed). The pharmaceutical sector was one of the laggards, with shares of giants like Novartis plunging by around -4.3% after underwhelming financial results. On the other hand, stocks like HSBC and Nokia actually saw a surge—HSBC rose by around 4.4% after raising its...
Japan's blue-chip Nikkei 225 index rallied to a new high thanks to a positive earnings report from chip equipment maker Advantest and a new Japan-US investment plan that boosted tech stocks. However, exporters such as automakers weighed on the broader Topix index, as the yen's strength against the US dollar dampened market sentiment. The Nikkei rose 2.2% to 51,307.65, an all-time high, at the close in Tokyo. The Topix index fell 0.2% to 3,278.24. Of the 1,671 stocks in the index, 204 rose and 1,447 fell, while 20 were unchanged. Advantest was the Nikkei's best performer, rising 22%, the...
Japanese stocks surged strongly. The Nikkei 225 index rose around 1.3% to near 50,900 on Wednesday, briefly setting a new record. Japanese market sentiment was also influenced by the tech rally on Wall Street, where artificial intelligence (AI) euphoria remains a key driver. Nvidia soared again after CEO Jensen Huang announced a series of new partnerships and dismissed the "AI bubble" issue. Japanese stocks close to the AI and chip supply chain also surged, including big names like Advantest, SoftBank Group, Lasertec, Fujikura, and Disco Corp. Japanese investors are also positioning...
Asian stock markets opened higher on Wednesday (October 29th), buoyed by positive sentiment from Wall Street. Investors are confident that the artificial intelligence (AI) trend can continue to drive profits for major tech companies, while bets are growing that the Fed will cut interest rates. Japanese and South Korean stocks rose, while Hong Kong was closed. In the US, the S&P 500 edged higher, but shares of tech giants—the "Magnificent Seven"—continued to rally, rising around 1.3%. The US dollar weakened for a third straight day, oil remained weak due to signs of oversupply, and gold...
European stocks closed slightly lower on Tuesday after reaching record peaks on the previous session on mixed earnings results, while markets continued to assess the outlook on global trade and European rates. The STOXX 50 inched down by 5,701 and the STOXX 600 lost 03% to 576. Pharmaceutical companies led the losses in the session with a 4.3% slump for Novartis after the Swiss giant posted softer earnings than expected. Roche and Novo Nordisk both fell 2.5% In the meantime, BNP Paribas fell 3.5%, also on an earnings miss. On the other hand, HSBC jumped 4.4% after raising its 2025...