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...
China's manufacturing activity unexpectedly declined for a second straight month in January, underlining the need for Beijing to step up economic stimulus with Donald Trump slapping tariffs on the country's exports. The Caixin manufacturing purchasing managers index fell to 50.1 from 50.5 in December, according to a statement released by Caixin and S&P Global on Monday. While any reading above 50 indicates an expansion of activity, the figure was well below the median forecast of 50.6 by economists surveyed by Bloomberg. The results of the private survey compare with last month's sharp...
The Nikkei 225 Index dropped 2.2% to around 38,700, while the broader Topix Index fell 2% to 2,730 on Monday, reaching their lowest levels in about two weeks. This decline came after President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on key US trading partners over the weekend. The US introduced a 25% tariff on goods from Mexico and Canada and a 10% levy on imports from China, raising concerns about the potential disruption to global trade. Meanwhile, a summary of opinions from the Bank of Japan's January meeting revealed discussions about possible interest rate hikes due to ongoing...
Asian stock markets slumped on Monday and U.S. equity futures pointed sharply lower after U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China triggered fears of a broad trade war and hit to global growth. The U.S. dollar shot to a record high against the Chinese yuan in offshore trading, and jumped to the highest since 2003 against Canada's currency and the strongest since 2022 versus Mexico's peso. Source: Reuters
US stocks rose on Friday, with the S&P 500 up 0.5%, the Nasdaq up 0.9% and the Dow Jones up about 90 points, boosted by a nearly 4% jump in Apple shares. The tech giant reported a 4% increase in revenue and issued a positive outlook for the current quarter, even as iPhone sales missed expectations. Intel, meanwhile, rose 1% and AbbVie jumped about 7.6% after its earnings and revenue beat expectations. On the other hand, Exxon Mobil fell 0.8% after its earnings missed estimates and Chevron shares fell about 2.2% as its refining business posted its first loss since 2020. On the data...
European equity markets are set to open little changed on Friday after hitting record highs in the previous session, supported by strong earnings and a favorable policy environment. On Thursday, the European Central Bank cut its main deposit rate by 25 basis points, as expected, and signaled that further cuts could follow. Recent data showed that the euro zone economy unexpectedly stalled in the last quarter, led by contractions in Germany and France. On the corporate side, Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter sales, which rose 16% to $13.2...