The European stock markets closed sharply lower in Friday trading as The Stoxx Europe 600 fell 1.8%, Germany's DAX dropped 2.5%, the FTSE 100 was down 0.7%, France's CAC decreased 2.9%, and the Swiss Market Index declined 0.8%. The annual inflation rate in the euro area was an estimated 2.0% in July, which is unchanged from June, according to a flash estimate from Eurostat, the EU's statistical office. Analysts had been expecting 1.9%, according to Bloomberg. Eurostat said food, alcohol, and tobacco are expected to have the highest annual rate in July at 3.3%, compared with 3.1% in...
Japan stocks were higher after the close on Friday, as gains in the Real Estate, Banking and Textile sectors led shares higher. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 gained 0.42%. The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Japan Steel Works Ltd (TYO:5631), which rose 10.05% or 590.00 points to trade at 6,463.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (TYO:7011) added 5.39% or 164.00 points to end at 3,208.00 and Nintendo Co Ltd (TYO:7974) was up 5.36% or 600.00 points to 11,800.00 in late trade. The worst performers of the session were Mercari Inc...
Both the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 edged up 0.2% on Friday, rebounding after two consecutive sessions of losses. Despite the modest gains, both indexes are on track to end the week largely unchanged, as traders await fresh catalysts amid ongoing concerns over the US fiscal outlook, which continues to unsettle global markets and push bond yields higher. On the trade front, high-level dialogue between Beijing and Washington continued, with senior officials holding a call on Thursday, an encouraging sign that both sides remain open to reaching an agreement. EU and US officials are also expected...
Hong Kong stocks rose 89 points or 0.4% to 23,627 in early trade Friday, swinging from the previous session's drop after the U.S. and China agreed to maintain open communication following a call between Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau. Sentiment was also lifted by the PBoC's recent move to cut key interest rates, including those at major state-owned banks, in a step expected to prompt smaller lenders to follow suit amid shrinking net interest margins. Gains were broad-based, led by financials, tech, and consumer stocks. For the...
Asia-Pacific markets mostly climbed Friday as investors assess a slew of economic data from the region. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 1.04% and the Topix climbed 0.89%. South Korea's Kospi rose 0.36% while the small-cap Kosdaq was down 0.34%. Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.33%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index and mainland China's CSI 300 traded flat at the open. The U.S. and China agreed to maintain communication following a call between Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu and U.S. Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau, according to a readout released by the Chinese...
The Nikkei 225 Index rose 0.8% to above 37,200 while the broader Topix Index gained 0.6% to 2,733 on Friday, reversing losses from the previous session as investors reacted to the latest inflation report. Japan's headline inflation remained steady at 3.6% in April, but the core inflation rate accelerated more than expected to 3.5%, the highest in over two years. This reinforces expectations that the Bank of Japan will continue tightening monetary policy in response to sustained inflationary pressures. Investor sentiment was also buoyed by falling US Treasury yields, with the benchmark...