European stocks closed sharply higher on Wednesday (July 23), halting three previous trading sessions' declines, buoyed by speculation that the US might accept lower tariffs following a new trade deal with Japan. The Eurozone STOXX 50 rose 1.1% to 5,350, and the pan-European STOXX 600 gained 1.1% to 550. President Trump lowered tariffs on Japan to 15% from an initial threat of 25%, despite no reports of substantial progress in trade negotiations between the EU and the US. Progress on auto tariffs with Japan, which has significant exposure to automakers, lifted shares of BMW, Stellantis,...
The Nikkei 225 jumped 1% to above 38,800 while the broader Topix index rose 1% to 2,706 on Monday , recovering losses from last week as investors prepared for Donald Trump's inauguration and braced for the potential impact of his policies. Domestic data revealed a surprise 3.4% month-on-month rise in Japanese machinery orders in November, defying market expectations for a 0.4% decline and marking the strongest growth in nine months. Looking ahead, markets are focused on the Bank of Japan's upcoming monetary policy decision, especially after hints from central bank officials about a...
U.S. stocks rallied on Friday to close out a strong week on optimism over the health of the economy and path of interest rates as investors braced for a slew of policy changes under the incoming Trump administration. The S&P 500 and Dow Industrials registered their biggest weekly percentage gains since early November and the Nasdaq recorded its best since early December. Data this week allayed fears that inflation would resurge while expectations have grown that the Federal Reserve will bump up the timing and magnitude of rate hikes this year. The Commerce Department reported on Friday...
European markets closed in positive territory on Friday with London's FTSE 100 ending the session at a record high. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index ended Friday 0.68% higher, with nearly all sectors and all major bourses in the green. Mining stocks led the gains, with the sector up 2% after Bloomberg reported Glencore had been in talks with Rio Tinto to explore the industry's largest ever merger. Novo Nordisk was the one of biggest detractors sliding by 4.3%. The U.K.'s mining-heavy FTSE 100 index strengthened provisionally by 1.35% to surpass a record close above 8,500 points. The rise...
US stocks were higher on Friday, with the S&P rising 0.9%, the Dow gaining 290 points and the Nasdaq soaring 1.5%. Investors continue to assess the Fed's potential to implement further rate cuts this year, supported by this week's softer-than-expected core inflation, PPI, and retail sales data. Markets are also looking ahead to Monday's inauguration of President-elect Trump for potential clarity on forthcoming policy changes. Additionally, corporate updates are in focus: Truist Financial shares climbed over 4.5% after the company reported earnings and revenue that exceeded...
The Hang Seng rose 61 points, or 0.3%, to close at 19,584 on Friday, marking its fourth session of gains amid upbeat economic data from China. The country's GDP grew 5.4% year-on-year in Q4, the fastest pace since Q2 2023, meeting the official target of around 5% thanks to stimulus measures in recent months. Meanwhile, industrial output rose 6.2% year-on-year in December, the highest in eight months, and retail sales recovered from a three-month low in November. Locally, figures from the Hong Kong Tourism Board showed tourist arrivals in the city jumped 31% to nearly 45 million in 2024,...