Wall Street's indexes closed at record highs on Wednesday, buoyed by strong sector performance and optimism that the US government shutdown will be brief. Investors shrugged off the first day of the shutdown and weaker-than-expected private payrolls data, with the S&P 500 gaining 0.3%, the Nasdaq 100 rising 0.5%, and the Dow adding 43 points. Health-care stocks led the advance, driven by sharp gains in Regeneron (+6.7%), Moderna (+6.8%), Eli Lilly (+8.2%), and AbbVie (+5.5%), while optimism over Pfizer's (+2.2%) deal with the White House on Medicaid drug pricing provided additional...
Both the STOXX 50 and the STOXX 600 edged up 0.1% on Tuesday, as investors continued to monitor trade negotiations with the US ahead of the looming July 9th deadline for reciprocal tariffs. Bloomberg reported that the European Union is open to a deal involving a 10% universal tariff on many of its exports, but is seeking concessions from the US on key sectors such as pharmaceuticals, alcohol, semiconductors, and commercial aircraft. The EU's trade chief is expected to lead a delegation to Washington this week in an effort to advance the talks, according to sources cited by Bloomberg. On...
Japan's Nikkei share average snapped a five-day winning streak to fall more than 1% on Tuesday, as investors sold stocks amid uncertainty over U.S.-Japan trade talks. The Nikkei fell 1.24% to 39,986.33, slipping from the highest level since mid-July, which it reached in the previous session. The broader Topix slipped 0.73% to 2,832.07. "The market was overheated, but there were some factors that boosted demand last month," said Hiroyuki Ueno, chief strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management. Japanese equities mirrored a rally in U.S. stocks in the past several sessions, but...
Japanese shares slid, snapping a five-day winning streak, as a stronger yen weighed on exporters and fresh comments from Donald Trump clouded expectations for progress in US-Japan tariff negotiations. Topix Index fell 0.8% to 2,830.16 as of 10:37 a.m. Tokyo time Nikkei declined 1.1% to 40,035.03 Out of 1,681 stocks in the Topix, 433 rose and 1,191 fell, while 57 were unchanged. The yen rose as much as 0.4% against the dollar Tuesday morning, holding its gains after better-than-forecast business sentiment data. That pressured large-cap exporters and dragged down the...
Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed Tuesday as investors assessed the record gains on Wall Street and the global impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff policies as his 90-day tariff reprieve is set to expire next week. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that there are "countries that are negotiating in good faith." However, he added that tariffs could still "spring back" to the levels announced on April 2 "if we can't get across the line because they are being recalcitrant." Japan's Nikkei 225 benchmark fell 0.58% after hitting an over 11-month high in its previous...
U.S. stocks rose on Monday as investors looked to close out a volatile first half of 2025 with fresh record highs. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 both rose 0.5%, extending their all-time highs, while the Dow gained 207 points, helped by strong performances from Big Tech giants such as Microsoft and Meta, which also hit new peaks. Optimism grew amid signs of progress in trade negotiations, highlighted by Canada's recent decision to scrap its digital services tax targeting U.S. tech companies—an easing of tensions that had rattled markets. Investors remained focused on a July 9 deadline for...