European stocks posted slight declines on Monday (July 21st) as markets continued to assess the trade outlook in the European Union. The Eurozone STOXX 50 fell 0.3% to close at 5,342, and the pan-European STOXX 600 fell 0.1% to 546. US officials maintained the threat of 30% tariffs on EU exports while the EU Commission continued to negotiate lower tariffs ahead of the August 1st deadline. Meanwhile, the EU also signaled that aggressive retaliation would be pursued if no deal was reached, risking escalation and higher prices in the bloc. Shares of luxury goods giants led the decline in the...
Hong Kong stocks plunged 200 points, or 1.0%, to 19,544 on Thursday morning, after a quiet session the previous day, as the sector's overall decline was broadly broad. Traders were concerned about the impact of political instability in South Korea and France. They also shied away from riskier assets amid a potential trade war between China and the US, fueled by technology sanctions from the Biden administration and threats of tariffs from newly elected President Trump. An unexpected slowdown in China's services activity last month added to market jitters. Meanwhile, US stock futures were...
The Nikkei 225 index rose 0.5% to around 39,460 while the broader Topix index gained 0.2% to 2,745 on Thursday, extending this week's rally and tracking gains on Wall Street overnight where the three major U.S. indexes closed at fresh record highs. The advances were driven by strong corporate earnings and optimism around the artificial intelligence boom, with major U.S. tech companies highlighting the significant boost they are receiving from the sector. In Japan, investors continued to focus on the outlook for monetary policy, with market sentiment divided on the timing of the Bank of...
Asia-Pacific markets opened mixed on Thursday, as all three major Wall Street indexes hit record highs, buoyed by a tech rally and comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. Investors in Asia will continue to monitor the political situation in South Korea. Less than a day after he declared martial law, lawmakers in the country moved to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol. South Korea released revised gross domestic product for the third quarter, showing the economy grew 0.1% quarter-on-quarter, and 1.5% year-on-year. The figures matched advanced estimates. Australia's S&P/ASX...
All three major U.S. stock indices closed at record highs on Wednesday. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq advanced by 0.6% and 1.3%, respectively, while the Dow Jones gained 303 points, marking its first-ever close above 45,000. Market sentiment was bolstered by a solid performance in the tech sector and encouraging earnings reports from major companies. Additionally, traders closely followed remarks from Fed Chair Powell. At the DealBook Summit, Powell reiterated that the central bank is not in rush to lower interest rates, emphasizing that the US economy remains solid but continues to face...
European stocks ended higher Wednesday, with the Stoxx 50 up 0.8% and the Stoxx 600 rising 0.4%, as investors monitored political and economic developments. Leading the gains were SAP, which climbed over 4%, and Schneider Electric, up more than 2%. In France, the CAC 40 gained 0.7% as attention turned to a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly. The vote follows Prime Minister Michel Barnier's use of special powers on Monday to push through a controversial budget without parliamentary approval. Both right- and left-wing parties have filed motions of no-confidence, with Barnier's...