Stocks in Hong Kong surged 413 points, or 1.6%, to 26,043 in early trade on the first trading day of 2026, rebounding from losses in the previous session as markets reopened after the New Year break. Sentiment was lifted by a marked rise in U.S. futures, following solid year-end gains on Wall Street in 2025. While U.S. equities underperformed the strong returns of the past two years, annual gains remained resilient despite a global sell-off triggered by tariff announcements in April. All sectors of the Hang Seng Index participated in the rally, led by tech, consumer, and property stocks....
Hong Kong shares edged up 51 points, or 0.2%, to 25,824 in Wednesday morning trade, reversing mild losses from the previous session after Wall Street's S&P 500 closed at a fresh high overnight as data showed the U.S. economy grew at its fastest pace in two years. Investors weighed reports that China plans to step up urban renewal and strengthen efforts to stabilize the property market starting in 2026, at the launch of its new Five-Year Plan (2026–2030). However, gains were capped by local data showing Hong Kong's current account surplus narrowed to HKD 98.2 billion in Q3 2025 from HKD...
Asian stocks rose at the opening session today, tracking significant gains on Wall Street, which hit a record high after data showed the US economy grew at its fastest pace in two years. The MSCI Asia Index rose 0.2%, with Japan and South Korea gaining, while Australian shares edged lower in the shortened trading session. US stocks also posted gains for the fourth straight day, driven by major technology stocks, which rose nearly 1%. Investors' attention was also focused on commodity markets, with gold prices surging to a new record above $4,500 per ounce. The rise in gold prices was driven...
Japan's Nikkei index edged up 0.2% on Wednesday (December 23rd), reaching 50,519.41, following gains on Wall Street overnight. The rise was fueled by recently released US economic data, which painted a mixed picture but still showed resilience. Despite concerns about some indicators, solid employment data and a sharp rise in US corporate profits reinforced the view that the Federal Reserve is likely to keep interest rates unchanged at its upcoming January meeting. Among the best-performing stocks on Japan's main index, Screen Holdings surged 7.4%, while Sumitomo Metal Mining rose 4.2%, and...
The S&P 500 rose 0.6% to close at a new record on Tuesday (December 24th), while the Nasdaq also rose 0.6% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.3%, as technology and energy stocks led broad gains. Large-cap stocks mostly rose, led by Nvidia's 3% gain, while Apple rose 0.5%, Microsoft edged up 0.4%, Alphabet added 1.4%, Amazon rose 1.6%, MetaTrader 5 rose 0.5%, and Broadcom rose 2.3%. In contrast, the real estate and consumer staples sectors underperformed. Eli Lilly shares fell 0.5% despite the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approving Novo Nordisk's weight-loss pill....
European markets closed higher on Tuesday, paring the previous session's losses. The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed up 0.3%, notching a new record closing high, lifted by surging shares of Copenhagen-listed Novo Nordisk. That brings the benchmark's year-to-date gains to 16%. With a week to go, it looks on track for its third consecutive year of gains. Investors are watching Novo Nordisk stock after the Wegovy-maker gained FDA approval for the first-ever GLP-1 pill, giving the Danish firm a head start over U.S. rival Eli Lilly. Novo stock closed 9.2% higher as the best performer among...