The S&P 500 ended slightly lower Monday, as investors digested a meeting between Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington and looked ahead to the upcoming Jackson Hole Symposium. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 33 points, or 0.1%, the S&P 500 index slipped 0.02%, while the NASDAQ Composite added 0.03%. The main Wall Street indices notched their second straight positive week last week, with the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average joined the benchmark S&P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite in reaching a new all-time peak during...
The Hang Seng dipped 223 points or 0.9% to close at 24,859 on Friday, reversing gains from the prior four sessions amid broad-based losses. Sentiment soured ahead of the August 12 deadline for China to reach a lasting tariff deal with the Trump administration. Traders also remained cautious ahead of China's July CPI and PPI data due Saturday, with expectations for a slight drop in consumer prices amid weak demand and continued producer deflation due to lingering trade risks. The tech sector led losses, down around 1.5%, pressured by a nearly 8% plunge in chipmaker SMIC after disappointing...
Both the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 rose 0.2% on Friday, putting them on track to close the week with strong gains of 3.3%, their best performance since April, and 1.9%, respectively. The weekly rally was driven by upbeat corporate earnings reports and renewed optimism over potential progress in resolving the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Investors also assessed changing global trade dynamics after President Trump's massive retaliatory tariffs took effect on Thursday. Furthermore, expectations of a Federal Reserve interest rate cut have recently strengthened. Among large-cap stocks, Novo Nordisk...
The Nikkei 225 jumped 1.85% to close at 41,820, while the broader Topix Index rose 1.21% to 3,024 on Friday (August 8), with the Topix index hitting a new record high as strong corporate earnings boosted market momentum. SoftBank Group surged more than 10% after returning to profitability in the first quarter, supported in part by gains from its artificial intelligence investments. Sony Group rose more than 3.5%, extending its 4.1% gain in the previous session, after raising its full-year operating profit forecast. Toyota Motor also rose 3.5% despite cutting its profit forecast due to US...
Hong Kong stocks fell 144 points, or 0.6%, to 24,936 in early trading on Friday, ending a four-day winning streak amid widespread weakness. Caution prevails ahead of China's July CPI and PPI data due Saturday, with consumer prices expected to ease slightly and producer deflation likely to persist amid ongoing trade risks. On the domestic front, Hong Kong's foreign exchange reserves fell to a three-month low of USD 425.4 billion in July. Semiconductor Manufacturing shares plunged 4.7% after missing second-quarter profit estimates, while MGM China (-4.3%), Kingdee Intl. Software (-4.2%), SITC...
Japan's Nikkei stock index rose 1.2% to 41,563.29 on Friday morning, driven by gains in the electronics and automotive sectors. This rise occurred as investor concerns eased regarding the impact of US tariffs on Japanese corporate profits. Sony shares jumped 4.6%, while Subaru gained 3.2%. Market sentiment was also supported by SoftBank Group's first-quarter earnings report, which beat analysts' expectations, pushing its shares up 5.1%. The USD/JPY exchange rate was stable at 147.06, not far from the previous close of 147.11. Investors are now focused on corporate earnings and political...