Asia-Pacific markets opened mixed Wednesday, following gains on Wall Street ahead of a potential U.S. government shutdown as lawmakers continue to wrangle over details of a second temporary spending bill. Investors in Asia will look toward the Reserve Bank of India's rate decision late Wednesday. Japan's Nikkei 225 sunk 0.2% at its open, while the broad based Topix was down 0.85%. In South Korea, the blue-chip Kospi was up 0.94%, and the small-cap Kosdaq gained 0.84%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.32% in early trade. Markets on mainland China and Hong Kong were closed for a...
Japanese stocks fall as uncertainty over a U.S. government shutdown and the impact of tariffs on earnings persists. Financial stocks lead declines. Dai-ichi Life Holdings declines 2.5% and Mizuho Financial Group is 1.9% lower. USD/JPY is at 148.13, compared with 148.19 as of Tuesday's Tokyo stock market close. Investors are focusing on any developments related to a potential U.S. government shutdown as well as the leadership election for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Japan. The Nikkei Stock Average is down 0.3% at 44802.93. Source: Dow Jones Newswires
Wall Street's three major indexes managed to close Tuesday's choppy session higher, marking quarterly and monthly gains, even as investors braced for a U.S. government shutdown, which would delay key economic reports and muddy the Federal Reserve's interest rate policy outlook. With investors having bet for some time on a spate of further Fed rate cuts, the benchmark S&P 500, the tech-heavy Nasdaq and the Dow all gained for the second quarter in a row. For the S&P 500 and the Dow, it also marked their fifth straight monthly gain while the Nasdaq registered its sixth straight monthly...
European shares reversed their earlier declines to close slightly higher on Tuesday, with energy stocks limiting broader gains, while investors weighed the potential impact of a U.S. government shutdown on financial markets. The pan-European STOXX 600 closed 0.5% higher, in its third consecutive session of gains. The index logged a quarterly rise and a third month in positive territory, its best showing since May. London's FTSE 100 hit an intraday record high. Most sectors were on the rise, with media stocks gaining 1.2% and retail up 1.1%. Industrial and healthcare stocks provided the...
US stocks were little changed on Tuesday, with the three major indexes hovering around the flatline as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of a potential government shutdown that could disrupt the release of key labor data later this week. The government faces the risk of shutting down tomorrow if Democrats and Republicans fail to reach a deal today, putting Friday's payrolls report at risk. Traders also awaited the JOLTS job openings data due later in the day. Energy and communication services were the worst performing sectors while utilities outperformed. Microsoft (-0.6%), Amazon...