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...
Stocks in the US were mostly higher on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 up 0.1%, the Nasdaq adding 0.2% and the Dow Jones swinging around the flatline. Traders remain focused on corporate earnings and trade developments, particularly after President Trump announced increased tariffs targeting countries that purchase energy from Russia. He also signaled that new levies on semiconductor and pharmaceutical imports will be unveiled "within the next week or so". Apple was up 2.8% as President Donald Trump is set to announce the firm will commit to another $100 billion investment on domestic...
The Hang Seng closed almost flat at 24,911 on Wednesday after dipping slightly in morning deals. Traders digested comments from President Trump, who said the U.S. was close to a trade deal with China and that he would meet President Xi before year-end if an agreement is reached. Investors also looked ahead to key Chinese economic data, including trade figures on Thursday and inflation on Saturday, amid concerns over rising trade barriers and persistent deflation risks. At the same time, markets braced for a possible new U.S. tariff announcement targeting semiconductors and chips, expected...
European stocks continued their gains for a third consecutive session on Wednesday, with the STOXX 50 rising 0.4% and the STOXX 600 up 0.2%, as corporate earnings continued to dominate market sentiment. Siemens Energy rose 1.8% after reporting record quarterly order intake, while Fresenius edged up 0.2% following an improved revenue outlook. Zalando rose 1.7% after raising its full-year forecast, and Banco BPM rose 1.4% after beating net profit expectations. On the downside, Novo Nordisk shares were little changed despite its operating profit rising below expectations. Glencore fell 3.7%...
The Nikkei 225 rose 0.6% to close at 40,795 on Wednesday (August 6th), while the broader Topix Index gained 1.02% to 2,967, marking a second straight day of gains for Japanese equities. Investors shrugged off weak gains on Wall Street, where stagflation concerns were rekindled by weak US economic data. The market also shrugged off new tariff threats from President Donald Trump, who warned of duties of up to 250% on pharmaceutical imports and potential levies on semiconductors. Domestically, data showed Japanese real wages fell for the sixth consecutive month in June, as inflation continued...
Hong Kong stocks fell 50 points, or 0.2%, to 24,851 in Wednesday morning trading, ending a two-day winning streak amid weakness in the technology, consumer discretionary, and financial sectors. Sentiment worsened after Wall Street closed lower overnight, as weak US data underscored the economic impact of tariffs on activity and earnings. Risk appetite was further dented by reports that two Chinese nationals were arrested in California for allegedly smuggling AI chips, including the Nvidia H100, to China. Caution also grew ahead of China's July trade data and inflation report, with lingering...