The S&P 500 rose 0.3% to a fresh record high on Thursday, while the Nasdaq gained 0.6% and the Dow Jones hovered near the flatline. Investors kept a cautious eye on the ongoing US government shutdown, though markets largely shrugged off concerns, awaiting further developments and hoping the stalemate proves short-lived. Technology led sector gains after OpenAI raised $6.6 billion in a share sale valuing the company at $500 billion and announced an agreement with South Korean chipmakers. Industrials, energy and consumer discretionary stocks also advanced, while real estate lagged. Among...
Japanese stocks rose for a fifth day ahead of a likely interest-rate hike by the Bank of Japan with strength among domestic demand-related sectors such as services, retail, food, and construction. Nikkei advanced 0.3% to 40,069.59 as of 9:20 a.m. Tokyo time The Topix Index rose 0.2% to 2,758.10 Nintendo Co. contributed the most to the Topix Index gain, increasing 2.2%. Out of 2,119 stocks in the index, 1,367 rose and 545 fell, while 207 were unchanged. Stocks are being supported by expectations of lower crude oil prices, easing concerns about inflation globally,...
The S&P 500 rose to record highs once again on Thursday after President Donald Trump called for lower interest rates and cheaper oil prices. The broad market index added 0.5%, notching an all-time intraday high for the second straight session. The Dow Jones industrial Average advanced 408 points, 0.9%, on pace for its fourth straight winning day. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.2%. Stocks took a modest leg up after Trump said Thursday in a virtual address to the World Economic Forum that he would "demand that interest rates drop immediately." The president also said he would ask Saudi...
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday continued to take aim at the European Union for what he claims is an unequal trade relationship. "From the standpoint of America, the EU treats us very, very unfairly, very badly," Trump said in a virtual address to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. After his inauguration on Monday, Trump's second term has been a key topic of conversation at Davos this year — particularly given his threats of trade tariffs on the EU, China, Mexico, Canada and beyond. Echoing previous comments, Trump said in his Davos address: "They make it very...
Both the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 held near the flatline on Thursday, ending a seven-session winning streak that had pushed the former to a 2,000 high and the latter to a record. Traders took a breather as they closely monitored developments in U.S. policy under President Trump. Technology stocks led the decline after rallying in the previous session, boosted by Trump's announcement of a $500 billion investment in U.S. AI infrastructure. Meanwhile, the World Economic Forum in Davos remained in focus, with Trump scheduled to address attendees via video call. In the corporate sector, ASML...
The Hang Seng fell 78 points, or 0.4%, to close at 19,700 on Thursday, reversing its morning gains amid looming tariff risks and concerns over China's sluggish economic momentum. Meanwhile, U.S. index futures fell after Wall Street's S&P 500 neared an all-time high on Wednesday following President Trump's move to boost spending on AI. Most sectors ended up losing ground, especially technology, consumer discretionary and property. In contrast, financials rose after China's securities regulator encouraged local insurers and mutual funds to boost their equity holdings. Earlier this month,...