The Hang Seng climbed 233 points, or 0.9%, to close at 26,855 on Tuesday, reversing early losses to hit a two-week high on broad-based gains. The index jumped 7% in September, its fifth straight monthly advance, and posted a third quarterly gain of 11.6%, fueled by AI optimism, strong inflows, and bets of fresh policy support from Beijing ahead of the October plenum. Still, upside was capped by U.S. political uncertainty, with Vice President Vance warning the government was "headed to a shutdown" amid stalled budget talks. Profit-taking also weighed as traders braced for China's week-long...
Japanese stocks are likely to weaken on Thursday as the market remains cautious about the impact of US tariffs on corporate earnings. Nvidia's weak earnings outlook could also pressure chip-related stocks. Nikkei futures on SGX fell 0.2% to 42,410. In the forex market, USD/JPY was at 147.27, weakening from 147.75 at the Tokyo close on Wednesday. A slightly stronger yen is usually a headwind for Japanese exporters, adding pressure to equity sentiment. In addition to tariff news, investors are also closely monitoring developments in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership election....
The European Union announced Wednesday it aims to fast-track the removal of all tariffs on U.S. industrial goods by week's end, following a newly established framework for a broader trade deal agreed late last month. President Trump has insisted that EU tariffs be lifted before the U.S. reduces duties on European auto exports. The EU's move comes after Trump warned Monday of potential new tariffs and export restrictions on advanced tech and semiconductors, citing digital service taxes abroad that he claims "unfairly target U.S. tech firms." While Trump didn't name specific countries, the...
Asia-Pacific markets traded largely lower Thursday as investors await the Bank of Korea policy decision. Japan's Nikkei 225 slid 0.52%, while the Topix tumbled 0.33%. South Korea's Kospi lost 0.43% and the small-cap Kosdaq dipped 0.15%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.1%. Australian rare earths producer Lynas Rare Earths plans to raise about A$750 million ($488 million) through a discounted share sale to boost its processing and exploration activities. The miner will issue stock at A$13.25, about a 10% discount compared to its last close. The company also announced that its shares have...
The S&P 500 ticked higher on Wednesday as investors turned their eyes to Nvidia earnings, which could be a make-or-break moment for the bull market. The broad market index ended the day up 0.2% at 6,481.38, setting a fresh all-time closing high. The Nasdaq Composite closed up 0.2% at 21,590.14 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 147 points, or 0.3%, to finish at 45,565.11. Shares of Nvidia, which account for roughly 8% of the S&P 500 and has the biggest weight in the benchmark according to FactSet data, were little changed. The market has been largely looking past Trump's...
Europe's STOXX 600 recovered slightly on Wednesday after a selloff in the previous session, as investors eyed political risks in France and awaited earnings from artificial intelligence chip leader Nvidia. The pan-European STOXX 600 index closed up 0.1%, a day after registering its largest drop in nearly a month. Most other regional bourses, however, closed in the red. France's CAC 40 bounced back 0.4% from a three-week low hit in the previous session's selloff sparked by concerns over a potential collapse of Prime Minister Francois Bayrou's government next month. Three main opposition...