Asia-Pacific markets opened mixed Wednesday, following gains on Wall Street ahead of a potential U.S. government shutdown as lawmakers continue to wrangle over details of a second temporary spending bill. Investors in Asia will look toward the Reserve Bank of India's rate decision late Wednesday. Japan's Nikkei 225 sunk 0.2% at its open, while the broad based Topix was down 0.85%. In South Korea, the blue-chip Kospi was up 0.94%, and the small-cap Kosdaq gained 0.84%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.32% in early trade. Markets on mainland China and Hong Kong were closed for a...
Asia-Pacific markets traded lower as investors weigh recent trade developments. Asia markets started the trading day lower. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 0.24%, while the Topix lost 0.55%. South Korea's Kospi was flat and the small-cap Kosdaq slipped 0.48%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.41%. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 was set to start the trading day lower, with the futures contract in Chicago at 41,740 and its counterpart in Osaka at 41,640, against the index's last close at 41,826.34. Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng index stood at 25,505, pointing to a weaker open...
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 closed at new record highs on Thursday (July 24), up 0.1% and 0.2%, respectively. This was supported by Alphabet's strong earnings, which bolstered investor confidence in AI investments. Alphabet shares rose 1% after the company beat second-quarter expectations and raised its 2025 capital spending forecast by $10 billion, lifting shares of other tech giants like Microsoft, Nvidia, and Amazon. Tesla fell 7.9% after CEO Elon Musk warned of challenging quarters ahead. The Dow Jones Industrial Average weakened, dropping 270 points, pressured by an 8% drop in IBM...
European stocks closed higher on Thursday (July 24th) as markets assessed the outlook for trade and monetary policy in the European Union. The STOXX 50 rose 0.3% to 5,359, and the STOXX 600 gained 0.3% to 552. The ECB maintained its benchmark interest rate and noted that disinflation had developed in line with previous estimates. The central bank also noted that further insights into economic developments would be needed before further clarity could be provided on the policy outlook, including a potential trade deal with the US and how the strong euro would move in the coming months....
US stocks were mixed on Thursday as markets assessed developments to domestic trade policy against major tech earnings. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 edged slightly higher, just enough to retest record highs, while the Dow fell over 300 points. Alphabet jumped 4% after the tech giant posted better than expected earnings for the June quarter and said it would increase AI-spending by $10 billion this year. On the other hand, Tesla slumped 7% after missing earnings and revenues estimates, while CEO Musk warned of "rough quarters" ahead due to lower sales in Europe, tariffs, and the end...
The Hang Seng rose 129 points or 0.5% to close at 25,667 on Thursday, extending strength for the fifth session while holding at its highest level since early November 2021. Gains were almost broad-based, led by financial and property stocks, as global equities continued their upward momentum. Optimism mounted that the U.S. may pursue additional trade deals after securing several pacts earlier this week, including with Japan. In China, stocks rose ahead of next week's third round of trade talks with the U.S. in Stockholm, aimed at extending a tariff truce. However, bullish momentum was...