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...
Three major US indexes closed at new record highs after a lower-than-expected inflation report raised the possibility of a Federal Reserve interest rate cut later this year and prompted investors to shift to riskier assets. The S&P 500 rose 0.8%, the Nasdaq rose 1%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 470 points. Technology stocks led the rally, with AMD and IBM surging 7.5% and 8.77%, respectively, after IBM said it had successfully implemented a key quantum error correction algorithm on AMD chips, boosting sentiment across the sector. Intel rose 1.6% after returning to...
European stocks closed slightly higher on Friday amid a mix of corporate earnings reports, while markets assessed the outlook for European growth and interest rates. The STOXX 50 edged up to 5,674, and the STOXX 600 gained 0.2% to close at a record 575. Sanofi rose 3% on better-than-expected third-quarter earnings, and Saab jumped 6% after raising its full-year organic sales forecast. NatWest also jumped 5% on higher third-quarter earnings and an improved performance target. ENI also jumped nearly 2% after releasing its earnings results. Meanwhile, Safran fell 1.4% despite beating analysts'...
European stocks edged lower Friday afternoon after briefly hitting record intraday highs, as investors digested corporate earnings and economic data amid hopes that US–China trade tensions may ease when Presidents Trump and Xi meet next week. The STOXX 50 fell 0.3% to 5,660, while the STOXX 600 hovered near 574. For the week, the STOXX 50 added 1% and the STOXX 600 gained 1.5%. Among corporate movers, Sanofi rose 2.7% on a Q3 profit beat, Saab surged 7% after raising its full-year organic sales forecast, and NatWest gained 3.3% on higher Q3 profits and an upgraded performance target. Vinci...
U.S. stocks reached new heights on Friday as cool inflation data raised investors' optimism that the Federal Reserve can stay on its rate-cutting path, boosting the economy and justifying higher valuations for equities. The Dow Jones Industrial average rose 407 points, or about 0.9%. The S&P 500 also added 0.9%, while the Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.2%. All three major averages reached new all-time intraday highs in the session. The September consumer price index report — which was delayed because of the U.S. government shutdown — rose 0.3% on the month, bringing the annual inflation...
The Hang Seng rose 192 points, or 0.7%, to finish at 26,160 on Friday, extending gains from the prior session. The increase came after Shanghai shares hit a 10-year peak, on strong inflows and China's pledge at the conclusion of a plenum to boost the household consumption's share in GDP over the next five years. Policymakers also reaffirmed their commitment to meet 2025 economic targets and support tech self-reliance. Gains were broad-based, led by tech, consumer, and property stocks. SMIC jumped 7.4%, followed by Horizon Robotics (6.1%), China Hongqiao Group (4.1%), and Trip.com...