The Nikkei 225 index rose 1.3% to close at 43,275 on Wednesday (August 13), while the Topix index rose 0.83% to 3,092. Both benchmark indexes set new record highs, extending positive sentiment following the overnight Wall Street rally. This rise was supported by US inflation data, which reinforced expectations for a Federal Reserve interest rate cut next month, along with a solid Japanese corporate earnings season. The combination of the two maintained buying momentum in large-cap stocks. Domestically, manufacturer sentiment improved for the second consecutive month in August, following...
European markets closed higher on Monday, amid a charge in defense shares after regional leaders held security talks that touched on bolstered military spending. The regional Stoxx 600 index moved between losses and gains in early deals before closing 1.1% higher. The Stoxx Europe aerospace and defense index rose by 8%, marking its best session in five years.Among the biggest movers were Germany's Hensoldt, closing 22.3% higher, Italy's Leonardo, which was up 16%, and Dassault Aviation, which gained 15%. Sweden's Saab, France's Thales, and Britain's BAE Systems also crowded the top of...
The S&P 500 retreated on Monday, struggling to rebound from February's rout as a deadline on President Donald Trump's tariff policies this week ratcheted up economic concerns. The broad index fell 0.2%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 66 points, or 0.2%. The Nasdaq Composite slid 0.4%, weighed down by Nvidia's slide of more than 5%. Those moves come after the three major indexes notched losses for February, which concluded last week. The Dow and S&P 500 each slipped more than 1% in February, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite recorded its worst month since April 2024...
The S&P 500 edged higher on Monday, as investors weighed a looming tariff deadline against opportunity in some of the more volatile investments of the past year like Tesla. The broad index climbed 0.4%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 174 points, or 0.4%. The Nasdaq Composite flickered around flat, as a slide of 4% in Nvidia mitigated gains elsewhere within the technology sector. The broader market got upward momentum from Tesla, which jumped more than 3% after Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas said it could rebound. Palantir, another retail investor favorite, jumped more...
The Hang Seng rose 65 points, or 0.3%, to close at 23,006 on Monday, ending two straight days of declines as traders eagerly awaited the start of China's National People's Congress on Tuesday. Analysts expect officials to set a growth target of around 5% and a budget deficit of 4% of GDP for this year during the crucial annual meeting. Investors are also hoping that U.S. tariffs on China could be delayed or reduced after President Trump announced plans to impose an additional 10% tariff on all Chinese imports starting March 4, after the 10% levy was imposed on Feb. 4. Meanwhile, China's...
European markets are set to start the week on a positive note, with defense stocks seen opening sharply higher after regional leaders held security talks that discussed higher military spending. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 is expected to open 42 points higher at 8,846, Germany's DAX is up 135 points at 22,621, France's CAC is up 34 points at 8,124 and Italy's FTSE MIB is up 18 points at 38,798, according to data from IG. Earnings are due from Euroapi and Bunzl, and key data releases include preliminary euro zone inflation data for February, with the latest consumer price index due ahead of the...