European shares reversed their earlier declines to close slightly higher on Tuesday, with energy stocks limiting broader gains, while investors weighed the potential impact of a U.S. government shutdown on financial markets. The pan-European STOXX 600 closed 0.5% higher, in its third consecutive session of gains. The index logged a quarterly rise and a third month in positive territory, its best showing since May. London's FTSE 100 hit an intraday record high. Most sectors were on the rise, with media stocks gaining 1.2% and retail up 1.1%. Industrial and healthcare stocks provided the...
The Nikkei 225 jumped 1.85% to close at 41,820, while the broader Topix Index rose 1.21% to 3,024 on Friday (August 8), with the Topix index hitting a new record high as strong corporate earnings boosted market momentum. SoftBank Group surged more than 10% after returning to profitability in the first quarter, supported in part by gains from its artificial intelligence investments. Sony Group rose more than 3.5%, extending its 4.1% gain in the previous session, after raising its full-year operating profit forecast. Toyota Motor also rose 3.5% despite cutting its profit forecast due to US...
Hong Kong stocks fell 144 points, or 0.6%, to 24,936 in early trading on Friday, ending a four-day winning streak amid widespread weakness. Caution prevails ahead of China's July CPI and PPI data due Saturday, with consumer prices expected to ease slightly and producer deflation likely to persist amid ongoing trade risks. On the domestic front, Hong Kong's foreign exchange reserves fell to a three-month low of USD 425.4 billion in July. Semiconductor Manufacturing shares plunged 4.7% after missing second-quarter profit estimates, while MGM China (-4.3%), Kingdee Intl. Software (-4.2%), SITC...
Japan's Nikkei stock index rose 1.2% to 41,563.29 on Friday morning, driven by gains in the electronics and automotive sectors. This rise occurred as investor concerns eased regarding the impact of US tariffs on Japanese corporate profits. Sony shares jumped 4.6%, while Subaru gained 3.2%. Market sentiment was also supported by SoftBank Group's first-quarter earnings report, which beat analysts' expectations, pushing its shares up 5.1%. The USD/JPY exchange rate was stable at 147.06, not far from the previous close of 147.11. Investors are now focused on corporate earnings and political...
Asian stock markets opened higher on Friday (August 8), marking a fifth consecutive day of gains. The market's performance was supported by Japanese technology stocks, particularly Sony and SoftBank, which surged after reporting strong financial results. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose 0.5%, while the Nikkei 225 jumped 1.3%. US stock futures also edged higher. Meanwhile, the US dollar weakened for the sixth consecutive day, recording its longest losing streak since March 2024. The yen briefly strengthened before recovering after Japan and the US agreed to end the universal tariff policy...
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gave back gains and closed lower on Thursday as investors pocketed some of their profits in what's been a solid week thus far. The 30-stock Dow fell 224.48 points, or 0.51%, closing at 43,968.64.The S&P 500 lost 0.08% and ended at 6,340.00. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.35%, ending at 21,242.70. The major averages saw sharp swings during the session, with the Dow up more than 300 points at its high and off more than 390 points at its low. The blue-chip Dow was weighed down by a 2.5% decline in Caterpillar shares after the construction equipment maker...