The Hang Seng Index plunged 404 points, or 1.6%, to close at 24,773 on Thursday (July 31), marking its third consecutive decline and its lowest close in two weeks. Sentiment worsened after China's official PMI showed services activity grew at its slowest pace in eight months and factory output fell the most in six months, amid rising trade barriers and extreme weather. Meanwhile, US President Trump's "reciprocal" tariff suspension is set to expire on Friday, with only eight trade deals reached in the past 120 days. On the monetary front, Fed Chairman Powell dismissed expectations of a...
Markets in Asia tumbled during morning trading Friday, a day after U.S. markets retreated in the wake of a White House announcement saying tariffs on Chinese exports to the United States would rise to 145 percent, up from 125 percent. Japan's Nikkei 225 and Topix indexes dropped by more than 4 percent. South Korea's Kospi and Australia's ASX 200 fell by almost 2 percent, while Taiwan's bourse kicked off the day with a fall of under 1 percent before logging a tiny gain of under 0.5 percent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index and China's Shanghai composite index netted losses of under 1 percent in...
U.S. stocks plunged on Thursday, reversing some of the previous day's historic rally as fresh concerns over escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and China rattled investor confidence. President Trump's announcement of a 90-day tariff pause for some countries had sparked optimism, but confirmation that total tariffs on Chinese goods had jumped to 145% reignited market concerns. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq fell 3.5% and 4.3%, respectively, while the Dow plunged 1,015 points. Tech giants such as Apple (-4.2%), Tesla (-7.3%), Nvidia (-5.9%), and MetaTrader (-6.7%) led the losses, as...
European stocks rallied by the most since March 2022, a day after US President Donald Trump paused plans to implement higher reciprocal tariffs on dozens of trade partners, easing concerns for the moment about potential damages from a global trade war. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index rose 3.7%, trimming earlier gains of as much as 7.3%. All sectors were in the green, with financial services and banks leading gains. France's CAC 40 advanced 3.8% and Germany's DAX added 4.5%. Trump announced a 90-day tariff reprieve Wednesday, providing relief for European...
Stocks fell on Thursday after a massive rally on Wall Street spurred by President Donald Trump announcing a 90-day reprieve on some of his "reciprocal" tariffs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 744 points, or 1.8%. The S&P 500 shed 2.2%, while the Nasdaq Composite slid 2.8%. The major averages are still down sharply since the tariffs were announced on April 2. The S&P 500 is lower by more than 6% in that time, along with the Dow and Nasdaq. Leading the declines were Apple and Tesla, which pulled back more than 3 and 5%, respectively. Nvidia lost 4.9%, while Meta Platforms...
The Hang Seng jumped 417 points or 2.1% to end at 20,682 on Thursday, marking its third straight gain as traders shrugged off Washington's latest tariff hike on Chinese goods—from 104% to 125%- on bets Beijing will do more to shield the economy from levies. China also released a White Paper showing a willingness to engage with the U.S. to ease a trade war while vowing to take firm measures to defend its interests. Sentiment was further lifted by reports that top Chinese leaders were meeting to discuss new support measures, with regulators exploring fresh steps to calm markets. Adding to...