The pan-European Stoxx 600 index provisionally closed just below the flatline on Wednesday, with sectors diverging as second quarter earnings season ramped up. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 finished flat, while France's CAC 40 nudged 0.06% higher, and Germany's DAX rose 0.23%. The euro extended its recent slide against the U.S. dollar, taking losses since the EU-U.S. trade deal announcement over the weekend to 2.3%. The U.S. dollar index was 0.6% higher following better-than-expected economic growth data and ahead of the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision. Source : CNBC
The Hang Seng jumped 652 points, or 2.8%, to close at 23,594 on Wednesday, reversing a modest decline in the previous session, supported by broad gains across sectors. Sentiment improved after China set a GDP growth target of around 5% for 2025, maintaining the same pace as in 2024 despite the trade dispute with the US. Beijing also pledged fresh support for domestic consumption and the technology industry while cutting its annual inflation target to around 2%, the first adjustment in more than two decades from its previous target of 3%. Meanwhile, US index futures jumped after Wall Street...
European stocks opened higher on Wednesday amid optimism that U.S. President Donald Trump's 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico could be eased, with investors also eyeing potential reforms to Germany's controversial debt brake system. The Stoxx 600 index rose 1.05% shortly after the open, following a broad decline in global equities on Tuesday on tariff concerns. The Stoxx autos index, which had fallen nearly 6% in the previous session, rebounded 2.4%. Utilities and food and beverages were among the sectors in the red. On Tuesday, the conservative alliance and the Social Democrats — the two...
Japan stocks were higher after the close on Wednesday, as gains in the Shipbuilding, Textile and Marine Transport sectors led shares higher. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 rose 0.16%. The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Fujikura Ltd. (TYO:5803), which rose 7.42% or 431.00 points to trade at 6,239.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Yokogawa Electric Corp. (TYO:6841) added 6.69% or 188.50 points to end at 3,005.00 and IHI Corp. (TYO:7013) was up 6.09% or 640.00 points to 11,145.00 in late trade. The worst performers of the session were Konami Corp. (TYO:9766), which...
Hong Kong's equities surged 268 points or 1.2% to 23,205 in early trading on Wednesday, rebounding from a modest decline in the prior session. Investors reacted positively to a copy of China's work report, which set a 2025 GDP growth target of around 5% and outlined stimulus measures to support the economy, amid rising trade tensions with the US. On the inflation front, the document showed Beijing lowered the annual inflation target to around 2% for the first time in over two decades. Traders also welcomed private survey data indicating an unexpected rebound in services activity from...
The Nikkei 225 and Topix indexes struggled to find clear direction on Wednesday as the intensifying trade war between the US and its major trading partners weighed on financial markets. President Trump's 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico, along with a 10% duty on Chinese imports, took effect on Tuesday, sparking retaliatory actions from those countries. However, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick suggested that a potential compromise between the US, Canada, and Mexico on tariffs might be possible. In Japan, data revealed that services sector growth reached a six-month high in...