The Hang Seng Index plunged 454 points, or 1.7%, on Tuesday (November 18th), its sharpest one-day drop since mid-October, and closed at a two-week low of 25,930. The index fell for a third straight session, weighed down by broad declines across sectors. Sentiment soured due to the global market slump, with traders anxiously awaiting Nvidia's earnings report amid valuation concerns and the delayed release of US data, including the September employment report. Technology stocks slumped nearly 2% as the recent rally showed signs of exhaustion. Property, financial, and consumer discretionary...
The Nikkei 225 index rose 0.3% to close at 39,395 while the broader Topix index edged up 0.06% to 2,742 on Thursday, extending this week's rally and tracking gains on Wall Street overnight where the three major U.S. indexes settled at fresh record highs. The advances were driven by strong corporate earnings and optimism around the artificial intelligence boom, with major U.S. tech companies highlighting the significant boost they are receiving from the sector. In Japan, investors continued to focus on the outlook for monetary policy, with market sentiment divided on the timing of the Bank...
European stocks are set to open in negative territory on Thursday, with French markets in focus after Prime Minister Michel Barnier's government was ousted in a no-confidence vote on Wednesday. A majority of lawmakers from the left-wing New Popular Front and the right-wing National Rally alliance backed the no-confidence motion in the country's lower house late yesterday. The motion was brought by the left-wing and right-wing blocs on Monday after Barnier, who has only been in power for three months, used special constitutional powers to force a social security spending bill through...
China stocks rose modestly on Thursday, with the Shanghai Composite up 0.1% to around 3,370 and the Shenzhen Component up 0.3% to 10,636, recovering losses from the previous session. However, concerns over China's economic challenges and escalating trade tensions with the U.S. kept investors cautious. The November PMI report showed a second straight month of expansion in China's manufacturing sector, although growth in the services sector slowed. Meanwhile, Beijing recently banned exports of critical minerals with military applications to the U.S., a retaliatory move in response to...
Hong Kong stocks plunged 200 points, or 1.0%, to 19,544 on Thursday morning, after a quiet session the previous day, as the sector's overall decline was broadly broad. Traders were concerned about the impact of political instability in South Korea and France. They also shied away from riskier assets amid a potential trade war between China and the US, fueled by technology sanctions from the Biden administration and threats of tariffs from newly elected President Trump. An unexpected slowdown in China's services activity last month added to market jitters. Meanwhile, US stock futures were...
The Nikkei 225 index rose 0.5% to around 39,460 while the broader Topix index gained 0.2% to 2,745 on Thursday, extending this week's rally and tracking gains on Wall Street overnight where the three major U.S. indexes closed at fresh record highs. The advances were driven by strong corporate earnings and optimism around the artificial intelligence boom, with major U.S. tech companies highlighting the significant boost they are receiving from the sector. In Japan, investors continued to focus on the outlook for monetary policy, with market sentiment divided on the timing of the Bank of...