European stock markets edged higher on Monday, as investors looked ahead to a trading week due to feature key economic data and a potential U.S. government shutdown. The pan-European Stoxx 600 had climbed by 0.3%, while the Dax in Germany gained 0.2%, the CAC 40 in France rose 0.1%, and the FTSE 100 in the U.K. increased around 0.2%. Shares of Britain's GSK rallied over 2%, boosting the wider health care sector, on news that the drugmaker's CEO Emma Walmsley will step down. Walmsley is due to be replaced by Luke Miels in January. AstraZeneca's stock price also ticked up after the U.K....
The Nikkei 225 rose 0.3% to close at 45,630 while the Topix gained 0.23% to 3,170 on Wednesday, reversing losses from earlier in the session, with technology shares driving gains. Japanese equities also drew support from foreign inflows and sustained global optimism around artificial intelligence. On the data front, September PMI figures showed manufacturing remained in contraction despite forecasts for growth, while services expanded at a slower pace. Investors now await Tokyo inflation data and the Bank of Japan's July meeting minutes for policy clues. Meanwhile, US markets retreated...
Stocks in Hong Kong edged up 27 points, or 0.1%, to 26,186 in Wednesday morning trade, trying to reverse losses from the prior two sessions as most sectors advanced. Bargain hunting, particularly in property stocks, helped lift the market from its near two-week low. Investors were also encouraged by modest gains in China's markets after a drop in the previous session, following a press briefing by top financial regulators, including the PBoC governor, that offered no new support measures. However, overnight losses on Wall Street limited gains after remarks from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome...
Japanese indexes corrected on Wednesday, with the Nikkei 225 down 0.1% to ±45,450 and the Topix down 0.5% to 3,147, erasing the previous session's gains. Pressure came from Wall Street, which retreated from record highs after Fed Chairman Jerome Powell highlighted overpriced valuations and uncertainty about the direction of interest rate cuts amid a complex policy environment.Sentiment was also weighed down by doubts about the sustainability of the AI-driven rally that has been driving major US technology stocks. Investors in Japan tended to reduce risk ahead of the next round of global data...
Asia-Pacific markets fell Wednesday, tracking Wall Street declines after U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said that "equity prices are fairly highly valued." Powell also signaled that the rate-cutting path wasn't clear and that the central bank faces a "challenging situation." Australia's ASX/S&P 200 lost 0.61%. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped 0.33%, while the Topix lost 0.35%. South Korea's Kospi lost 0.11%, while the small-cap Kosdaq traded 0.39% lower. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was set to open higher, with its futures contract last traded at 26,188 against the...
A record-breaking US stock rally stalled on Tuesday, as investors weighed cautious comments from Federal Reserve officials and concerns about the sustainability of AI-driven commerce. The S&P 500 fell 0.5%, the Nasdaq 100 fell 0.7%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 88 points. Nvidia fell 2.8% after a Monday surge linked to its $100 billion OpenAI investment, as investors questioned the deal's structure and energy demand, while Oracle and Amazon fell 4.1% and 3.1%, respectively. On the positive side, Kenvue rose 1.7% after paring losses from Trump's criticism of Tylenol, and...