US stocks rallied on Wednesday (July 23), driven by optimism over a new trade agreement and strong corporate momentum. The S&P 500 rose 0.8% to a new record high, while the Nasdaq gained 0.7%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 505 points, nearly reaching its own record high. The market welcomed news of a finalized trade deal between the US and Japan that includes reciprocal tariffs of 15%, with President Trump signaling similar progress in negotiations with the European Union. Reports suggesting a US-EU deal is nearing completion, mirroring Japan's framework, further boosted...
Hong Kong stocks jumped 336 points, or 1.7%, to 20,041 in early trade on Friday, snapping losses from the previous two sessions amid solid gains across sectors. For the week, the Hang Seng is on track for a second straight gain, up nearly 2.5% so far, boosted by Beijing's initiative to encourage insurers to buy more mainland-listed shares. The plan is expected to inject at least hundreds of billions of yuan in new capital each year from state-owned insurers. It also involves guiding mutual fund managers to increase the equity funds under their management. Overnight on Wall Street, the...
The Shanghai Composite rose 0.4% to top 3,240, while the Shenzhen Component rose 0.7% to 10,250 on Friday (24/1), extending gains from the previous session as Beijing unveiled new measures to boost stock market investment. China's top financial regulator urged medium- and long-term funds, such as insurance, pension, national social security and annuity funds, to increase their equity investments. Meanwhile, the People's Bank of China kept the interest rate on its one-year medium-term lending facility unchanged at 2% during its January decision. Chinese stocks have come under pressure...
Asia-Pacific markets rose on Friday, after the S&P 500 hit a record high on Thursday as U.S. President Donald Trump called for lower interest rates and cheaper oil. Japan's core inflation rate rose to a 16-month high of 3% in December, year-on-year, adding to the case for a rate hike from the Bank of Japan. The CPI announcement comes ahead of the Bank of Japan's monetary policy meeting later in the day. Market watchers expect the central bank to raise interest rates to their lowest level in 17 years The country's benchmark Nikkei 225 index started the day up 0.31%. South Korea's...
Japanese stocks rose for a fifth day ahead of a likely interest-rate hike by the Bank of Japan with strength among domestic demand-related sectors such as services, retail, food, and construction. Nikkei advanced 0.3% to 40,069.59 as of 9:20 a.m. Tokyo time The Topix Index rose 0.2% to 2,758.10 Nintendo Co. contributed the most to the Topix Index gain, increasing 2.2%. Out of 2,119 stocks in the index, 1,367 rose and 545 fell, while 207 were unchanged. Stocks are being supported by expectations of lower crude oil prices, easing concerns about inflation globally,...
The S&P 500 rose to record highs once again on Thursday after President Donald Trump called for lower interest rates and cheaper oil prices. The broad market index added 0.5%, notching an all-time intraday high for the second straight session. The Dow Jones industrial Average advanced 408 points, 0.9%, on pace for its fourth straight winning day. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.2%. Stocks took a modest leg up after Trump said Thursday in a virtual address to the World Economic Forum that he would "demand that interest rates drop immediately." The president also said he would ask Saudi...