Asian stock markets opened cautiously at the start of the week, with the MSCI Asia Pacific index rising slightly by 0.2%. The Kospi led the gains, while Japan's Nikkei index fell 0.5% after data showed the Japanese economy contracted again. Japanese retail and tourism stocks also weakened due to escalating tensions with China. US stock futures rose 0.3%, providing some positive sentiment. Investors are now awaiting a slew of US economic data, which returns after a long pause due to the shutdown, including the jobs report. At the same time, risk appetite appears to be weakening as AI stock...
Asian stocks were mixed on Thursday after Fed Chairman Jerome Powell emphasized that a December interest rate cut was not a certainty. The region's benchmark indexes were virtually unchanged, while US stock futures fluctuated between gains and losses. The 10-year US Treasury yield hovered around 4.07%, adding pressure on riskier assets. Gold briefly edged up after four days of declines. On the issuer side, tech giant earnings results were mixed: Meta fell 7.7% in after-hours trading, Alphabet jumped 6%, and Microsoft weakened. In Asia, Samsung Electronics gained after earnings beat...
Japanese stocks are lower in early trade amid caution ahead of the Bank of Japan's policy meeting outcome due later Thursday. Tech and brokerage stocks are leading the declines. SoftBank Group is down 1.8% and Nomura Holdings is 2.1% lower. USD/JPY is at 152.78, compared with 152.28 as of Wednesday's Tokyo stock market close. Investors will be focusing on any progress in Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's policy steps as well as the BOJ's assessment of the economy. The Nikkei Stock Average is down 0.1% at 51265.52. Source: Dow Jones Newswires
The S&P 500 closed lower Wednesday after easing from intraday record high as the Federal Reserve cut interest rates, though cooled expectations about the certainty of further rate cuts ahead. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 73 points, or 0.2%, the S&P 500 index closed marginally lower, and the NASDAQ Composite gained 0.6%. The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 25 basis points on Wednesday for the second time this year, citing concerns about a softening labor market. The central bank also said it would stop reducing the size of its balance sheet as soon as December,...
European stocks weakened slightly on Wednesday (October 29, 2025), after several consecutive days of record highs. The STOXX 600 index fell by around -0.3% to 576 points, while the STOXX 50 also corrected from its peak. Investors chose to hold positions while awaiting key data and policy decisions from the Federal Reserve (The Fed). The pharmaceutical sector was one of the laggards, with shares of giants like Novartis plunging by around -4.3% after underwhelming financial results. On the other hand, stocks like HSBC and Nokia actually saw a surge—HSBC rose by around 4.4% after raising its...
Japan's blue-chip Nikkei 225 index rallied to a new high thanks to a positive earnings report from chip equipment maker Advantest and a new Japan-US investment plan that boosted tech stocks. However, exporters such as automakers weighed on the broader Topix index, as the yen's strength against the US dollar dampened market sentiment. The Nikkei rose 2.2% to 51,307.65, an all-time high, at the close in Tokyo. The Topix index fell 0.2% to 3,278.24. Of the 1,671 stocks in the index, 204 rose and 1,447 fell, while 20 were unchanged. Advantest was the Nikkei's best performer, rising 22%, the...