The Nikkei 225 Index shed 0.05% to close at 40,655 while the broader Topix Index gained 0.4% to 2,920 on Wednesday, with Japanese shares struggling for clear direction as investors braced for the latest Bank of Japan monetary policy decision. The central bank is widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged on Thursday amid uncertainty over the economic fallout from recent US tariffs. However, the central bank is likely to raise its inflation forecast in its quarterly outlook, reflecting ongoing price pressures. Investors also weighed prospects of another extension to the tariff truce...
The Hong Kong stock market jumped 297 points or 1.5% to 20,717 on Tuesday morning trade, surging for the third session and reaching its highest level in a month after a readout of China's Politburo meeting indicated that China next year will adopt a more proactive fiscal policy to bolster recovery, alongside an appropriately loose monetary policy for the first time in 14 years. Beijing will also focus on boosting demand and spurring consumption. Traders keenly anticipated the Central Economic Work Conference this week, where key targets and policy directions for 2025 will be set. However,...
The Nikkei 225 index rose 0.3% to above 39,200, while the broader Topix index gained 0.4% to 2,745 on Tuesday, extending gains from the previous session. The rally was driven by optimism following China's announcement of "more proactive" fiscal measures and "moderately" loose monetary policy, which boosted market sentiment across the region. Japanese stocks also defied a selloff on Wall Street overnight, with major U.S. technology names facing pressure. At home, investors are eyeing business sentiment data later this week to gauge the health of the Japanese economy. Market expectations...
Asia-Pacific markets opened mostly higher Tuesday, following losses on Wall Street that saw the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite pull back from record highs ahead of key inflation data. Traders in Asia assessed Beijing's announcement of "more proactive" fiscal measures and "moderately" looser monetary policy next year aimed at boosting domestic consumption. The news, which came from an official readout late Tuesday after mainland China market had closed, sent Hong Kong's Hang Seng index nearly 3% higher. Hang Seng index futures were at 21,359, higher than the HSI's last close of...
Wall Street's main indexes finished lower on Monday, fueled by a decline in AI leader Nvidia that weighed on tech stocks, as investors looked ahead to a crucial inflation report set for later this week. Nvidia (NVDA.O), opens new tab fell after China's market regulator launched an investigation into the chipmaker over suspected violation of antimonopoly law, dragging down the information technology sector (.SPLRCT), opens new tab. According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 (.SPX), opens new tab lost 35.69 points, or 0.60%, to end at 6,053.68 points, while the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC),...
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite pulled back from record highs Monday, with tech shares struggling and investors looking ahead to key inflation data due out this week. The tech-heavy Nasdaq and the broad market S&P 500 each lost 0.4%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, on the other hand, hovered around the flatline. Nvidia shares dropped around 3% on the heels of a Chinese regulator announcing that it's investigating the AI chip darling for potentially violating the country's antimonopoly law. The stock has been a bellwether for the artificial intelligence trade, up about 179% in...