Wall Street's indexes closed at record highs on Wednesday, buoyed by strong sector performance and optimism that the US government shutdown will be brief. Investors shrugged off the first day of the shutdown and weaker-than-expected private payrolls data, with the S&P 500 gaining 0.3%, the Nasdaq 100 rising 0.5%, and the Dow adding 43 points. Health-care stocks led the advance, driven by sharp gains in Regeneron (+6.7%), Moderna (+6.8%), Eli Lilly (+8.2%), and AbbVie (+5.5%), while optimism over Pfizer's (+2.2%) deal with the White House on Medicaid drug pricing provided additional...
Asian stocks traded in a tight range at the open after losses on Wall Street as signs of fatigue crept into the AI-fueled equity rally. Shares in Japan and Australia edged up while those in South Korea retreated. The S&P 500, Nasdaq 100 and a gauge of global stocks each dropped 0.3% Wednesday, extending declines from the prior day. An index of US-listed Chinese companies rallied against the downcast mood on Wall Street to climb 2.8%. Equity-index futures for Hong Kong retreated as the city returns to normalcy after Super Typhoon Ragasa....
US stocks weakened for a second straight day on Wednesday as investors weighed pressure on AI leaders, mixed signals from the Federal Reserve, and profit-taking near record highs. The S&P 500 fell 0.3%, the Nasdaq 100 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average each fell 0.4%, extending Tuesday's decline that ended a three-day winning streak. Nvidia fell nearly 1% after announcing a $100 billion partnership with OpenAI, while Oracle fell 1.7% and Micron Technology slumped 2.9% despite posting higher-than-expected earnings. Conversely, Alibaba's pledge to increase AI spending beyond its initial...
European stocks closed near the flatline on Wednesday (September 24), extending the relatively subdued movement in equity markets this week, as weakness among major luxury brands offset modest gains in other sectors. The Eurozone STOXX 50 and the pan-European STOXX 600 were both flat on the session. Luxury brands reversed their strong momentum from yesterday to close sharply lower, with LVMH, Hermes, Ferrari, L'Oreal, and EssilorLuxxotica all down between 3% and 1.5%. Meanwhile, companies in the crude oil exploration and extraction sector rose sharply amid a rebound in benchmark prices,...
US stocks rose on Wednesday (September 24), paring losses from the previous session as the market assessed the prospects for returns on large investments in artificial intelligence and the outlook for long-term US interest rates. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 rose 0.3%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 100 points. Companies in the AI sector rose sharply after Alibaba announced plans to increase AI spending beyond the $50 billion initially promised. The Chinese tech giant's depositary receipts (DRPs) jumped 8%, while Nvidia and MetaTrader 5 each rose nearly 1%. Meanwhile,...
The Hang Seng Index rose 1.4% at 26,518.65 in Hong Kong. The move follows the previous session's decrease of 0.7%. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. contributed the most to the index gain and had the largest move, increasing 9.2%. Today, 49 of 88 shares rose, while 36 fell; 2 of 4 sectors were higher, led by commerce and industry stocks. Source: Bloomberg