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...
A record-breaking US stock rally stalled on Tuesday, as investors weighed cautious comments from Federal Reserve officials and concerns about the sustainability of AI-driven commerce. The S&P 500 fell 0.5%, the Nasdaq 100 fell 0.7%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 88 points. Nvidia fell 2.8% after a Monday surge linked to its $100 billion OpenAI investment, as investors questioned the deal's structure and energy demand, while Oracle and Amazon fell 4.1% and 3.1%, respectively. On the positive side, Kenvue rose 1.7% after paring losses from Trump's criticism of Tylenol, and...
European stocks touched their highest in more than a week on Tuesday, lifted by a rally in luxury goods companies on higher U.S. spending and gains for wind energy stocks after a court ruled that Orsted could restart work on a U.S. offshore project. The pan-European STOXX 600 closed up 0.4%, after having touched its highest since September 16 earlier in the session. Most regional bourses also closed higher. Portugal stocks closed at their highest in more than three weeks after the country kept its budget surplus target for 2025, allowing it to continue reducing its debt ratio. Meanwhile,...
The Hang Seng dropped 185 points, or 0.7%, to close at 26,159 on Tuesday, its second straight decline and the lowest in nearly two weeks. Sentiment weakened as China's policy measures fell short of expectations following a press briefing by top financial regulators on Monday, including the PBoC governor. Locally, Hong Kong shut down ahead of Super Typhoon Ragasa, with most flights suspended until Thursday. In the U.S., three Fed officials signaled the need for caution on inflation, while markets awaited a speech from Chair Powell later today. Losses were partly limited by pledges from the...
European stocks edged higher on Tuesday, with the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 both up 0.1%, supported by a tech-led rally on Wall Street and optimism over AI following news of a Nvidia–OpenAI partnership. Traders also awaited fresh PMI data from Europe's largest economies. France disappointed, with both services and manufacturing slipping into contraction territory. On the corporate front, LVMH (+0.5%), Siemens (+1%), Schneider Electric (+1.9%) and ABB (+0.7%) booked gains, while Orsted surged more than 7% after a US court ruling cleared the way to resume work on the Revolution Wind project off...
Hong Kong shares fell 195 points or 0.7% to 26,160 in early deals on Tuesday, marking a second day of losses as most sectors retreated. Sentiment weakened after PBoC Governor Pan Gongsheng's Monday briefing failed to deliver the easing measures investors had hoped for, with policymakers showing little urgency for major stimulus amid resilient exports and a stock market rally. In the U.S., futures were steady as Fed officials tempered bets for further cuts, noting inflation remains above target, though new Fed Governor Stephen Miran continued to advocate for deeper cuts. Losses were capped...