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...
Asia-Pacific markets mostly fell on Wednesday after Wall Street gained overnight. India's markets will also be in focus as the U.S. tariffs take effect. The country currently faces additional tariffs of up to 50% on exports to the U.S., after the Trump administration escalated tariff threats in response to its substantial imports of Russian energy. Japan's Nikkei 225 slipped 0.17%, and the Topix lost 0.3%. South Korea's Kospi declined 0.17% and the small-cap Kosdaq lost 0.16%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.23%. Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng index stood at 25,626, pointing to a...
The S&P 500 closed 0.4% higher on Tuesday, bolstered by gains in Nvidia, as investors balanced optimism over corporate earnings with concerns about President Trump's unprecedented removal of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. The Dow Jones added 135 points, while the Nasdaq rose 0.4%. Nvidia shares jumped 1.1% ahead of its quarterly report on Wednesday, amid high expectations for the chipmaker in the context of ongoing US-China trade tensions, and Eli Lilly surged 5.8% after announcing its experimental diabetes pill significantly reduces body weight. Although several sectors,...
European stock markets retreated on Tuesday, pulled down by French equities as traders monitored the potential for the government to lose a confidence vote next month. France's CAC 40 index plummeted more than 2% in early deals before paring losses to around 1.6% by the end of the trading session. The country's three main opposition parties said they would not back a surprise confidence vote called by Prime Minister Francois Bayrou on Monday for Sept. 8 over his budget plans. Bayrou argues around 44 billion euros ($51 billion) in budget cuts are needed to reduce the French deficit, which...
US stocks inched lower on Tuesday, extending the slight drop from the previous session and trackingTreasury bonds amid fresh concerns over the independence of the Federal Reserve and new threats of tariffs. The three main equity indices were marginally below the flatline. President Trump started the process to fire Fed Governor Cook on allegations of mortgage fraud, extending the President's efforts to influence FOMC members amid persistent calls that interest rates should be over two percentage points lower. The dented demand for risk for equities, even if the dollar and long-maturity...
The Hang Seng Index plunged 305 points, or 1.2%, to close at 25,525 on Tuesday, after posting two consecutive days of gains amid widespread losses. Sentiment worsened after US index futures fell sharply following President Trump's firing of Fed Chair Lisa Cook and his threat of "200% tariffs" on China if rare earth magnet exports were restricted. Trump also vowed to retaliate against countries that regulate major US technology companies. The index retreated from a nearly four-year high on growing concerns that mainland Chinese stocks might weaken after a month-long rally that lifted the...