Wall Street's three major indexes managed to close Tuesday's choppy session higher, marking quarterly and monthly gains, even as investors braced for a U.S. government shutdown, which would delay key economic reports and muddy the Federal Reserve's interest rate policy outlook. With investors having bet for some time on a spate of further Fed rate cuts, the benchmark S&P 500, the tech-heavy Nasdaq and the Dow all gained for the second quarter in a row. For the S&P 500 and the Dow, it also marked their fifth straight monthly gain while the Nasdaq registered its sixth straight monthly...
Japan's Topix index jumped 0.72% to an all-time high of 2,988 on Thursday, while the Nikkei 225 gained 0.65% to 41,059, marking its third consecutive session of gains. The rally followed a strong performance on Wall Street overnight, driven by strong corporate earnings, as investors largely shrugged off new US tariff announcements. President Donald Trump announced a 100% tariff on imported semiconductors, excluding companies building in the US, and doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50% in response to continued Russian oil imports. The best-performing stocks included Fujikura (+5.3%), Sony...
Hong Kong stocks edged lower on Thursday morning, holding at around 24,906 and ending a three-session winning streak, driven primarily by technology and consumer stocks. Sentiment weakened after US President Trump announced a 100% tariff on imported semiconductors, sparking concerns about a protracted trade war. Investors also grew cautious ahead of China's July trade data due later today, as Trump's unpredictable tariff policies have increased pressure on the Chinese economy. The losses were offset by a modest rise in US futures, amid reports that trading partners were rushing to finalize...
The Nikkei 225 rose 0.5% to 41,000 and the broader Topix gained 0.45% to 2,980 on Thursday, marking the third consecutive gain for Japanese stocks. The rally mirrored overnight gains on Wall Street, driven by upbeat corporate earnings reports, as investors largely shrugged off President Donald Trump's latest tariff moves. Trump announced a 100% tariff on imported semiconductors, excluding companies building in the US, and doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50% on continued imports of Russian oil. Among the gainers were SoftBank Group (+2%), Mitsubishi UFJ (+1.5%), and Ryohin Keikaku...
Stock markets in the Asia-Pacific region opened with mixed movements on Thursday morning, after US President Donald Trump announced he would impose a 100% tariff on semiconductor imports. However, companies building production facilities in the United States will be exempt from the tariffs. However, there is still no clarity on how large a production commitment in the US will be required for a company to be exempt from the tariffs. This uncertainty has left investors in the region cautious about the potential impact on the technology sector. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index was flat, while...
European shares closed flat on Wednesday, surrendering early session gains, as healthcare stocks felt the pinch from U.S. President Donald Trump's latest threat to impose higher tariffs on pharmaceutical imports. The pan-European STOXX 600 index closed 0.06% lower, breaking its two-day winning streak despite starting the session on a positive note. Healthcare stocks bore the brunt of the selling pressure. The sector index plunged 2.8% to its lowest level in more than three months after Trump unveiled a graduated tariff plan targeting pharmaceutical imports that could see levies on the...