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...
The Nikkei 225 index fell 0.77% to close at 39,091 while the broader Topix index dropped 0.55% to 2,727 on Friday, paring gains from earlier in the week and tracking losses on Wall Street overnight as a major rally in U.S. stocks lost momentum. Investors are also gearing up for the crucial U.S. monthly jobs report. In Japan, data showed that inflation-adjusted real wages were unchanged in October from a year earlier, up from a 0.4% decline in September and 0.8% in August. That supported expectations for a potential interest rate hike by the Bank of Japan this month, although uncertainty...
European equity markets are set for a lower open on Friday, as political turmoil in France dampened market sentiment. French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a speech criticizing politicians for failing to take voters' concerns into account, after a motion backed by both left- and right-leaning lawmakers led to the collapse of Prime Minister Michel Barnier's minority government. Investors also await the third reading of Eurozone GDP for the third quarter, alongside French trade figures and Italian retail sales data for October. Meanwhile, traders are bracing for a crucial U.S. jobs...
Hong Kong stocks jumped 233 points, or 1.2%, to 19,789 in early trade on Friday, bouncing back from a weak session the previous day amid optimism that China's central bank will ease monetary policy further next year to support growth and fight deflation. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley expect the PBOC to cut its key policy rate by 40bps in 2025, the biggest rate cut in a decade. The Hang Seng is on track for a second straight weekly gain, up nearly 2% so far, buoyed by hopes of a positive outcome from the upcoming central economic work forum and Politburo meeting in China. However,...
The Nikkei 225 index fell 0.6% to below 39,200 while the broader Topix index fell 0.4% to 2,730 on Friday, paring gains from earlier in the week and tracking losses on Wall Street overnight as a major rally in U.S. stocks lost momentum. Investors are also gearing up for the crucial U.S. monthly jobs report. In Japan, data showed that inflation-adjusted real wages were unchanged in October from a year earlier, an improvement from a 0.4% decline in September and 0.8% in August. That supported expectations for a potential interest rate hike by the Bank of Japan this month, although...
Asia-Pacific markets open mostly lower Friday after Wall Street saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average drop more than 200 points and S&P 500 retreat from a record high. Traders in Asia assessed household spending data out of Japan. Spending grew 2.9% in October compared to the previous month, beating expectations of a 0.4% growth by economists polled by Reuters. Year-over-year, household spending fell 1.3% in October, less than an expected 2.6%. India's central bank will announce its interest rate decision Friday. The Reserve Bank of India is expected to hold its key policy rate at 6.50%...