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...
The Nikkei 225 Index rose 0.4% to around 42,350, while the broader Topix Index added 0.3% to 3,072 on Tuesday, with Japanese shares snapping a two-day losing streak as risk sentiment improved. Investors weighed the global trade outlook after a US federal appeals court ruled that most of President Donald Trump's tariffs were unlawful, giving the administration until October 14 to appeal to the US Supreme Court. Domestically, attention turned to upcoming wage data that could shape monetary policy direction. Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda recently said wages are set to rise further amid a...
Asia-Pacific markets mostly rose investors assessed the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting of leaders in Tianjin, with tariff uncertainty weighing on sentiment. This comes after a U.S. federal appeals court on Friday ruled that most of President Donald Trump's global tariffs are illegal. Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.31%, while the broader Topix index added 0.28%. Over in South Korea, the Kospi index increased by 0.45%, while the small-cap Kosdaq moved up 0.14%. The country's consumer price index rose 1.7% in August from the year before, after increasing by 2.1% the month before. This...
European shares finished marginally higher on Monday, supported by defence stocks, while Novo Nordisk gained after data showed its weight-loss drug Wegovy delivers stronger heart-protective benefits than Eli Lilly's rival therapies. The pan-European STOXX 600 closed up 0.17% at 551.07, with gains led by the aerospace and defence index, which surged 2.1% to hover near a record high. Defence giants, Rolls-Royce Holdings, Rheinmetall and Hensoldt advanced between 2.8% and 4.5%. Gains followed a Financial Times report that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe was...
The Hang Seng Index surged 540 points, or 2.2%, to close at 25,617 on Monday (September 1), its biggest one-day gain since August 13 and its second consecutive gain, driven by broad gains. Consumer stocks surged about 3%, followed by solid gains in the technology and property sectors. Sentiment was boosted by upbeat August manufacturing PMI data in China from a private survey, which showed strong growth in new output and new orders. Meanwhile, mainland Chinese equities rose for a third session as abundant liquidity encouraged higher yields. Gains were partly capped by mixed US index...
European bourses opened September in positive territory, with both the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 rising nearly 0.3% after modest gains in August. Trading is expected to remain subdued today, as US markets are closed for Labor Day and few economic data releases are scheduled, aside from stronger-than-expected Q2 GDP growth in Turkey. Investors are now looking ahead to this week's US jobs report, which will help shape expectations for the Federal Reserve's next policy move. On the corporate front, Novo Nordisk shares gained 2.9% after the company reported that its weight-loss drug Wegovy reduces...