Equities in Hong Kong rose 96 points or 0.4% to 24,9 on Monday morning deals, extending gains from the previous session as traders reacted to the PBoC's decision to keep its one-year and five-year loan prime rates at record lows, in line with expectations. The Hang Seng index reached its highest level since early 2022, lifted by broad-based sector gains and a modest uptick in U.S. futures amid optimism over global trade. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick expressed confidence on Sunday that a deal with the EU could be reached before the August 1 deadline, though talks may continue...
European equity markets were poised to open little changed on Thursday as investors awaited the European Central Bank's latest monetary policy decision. The ECB is widely expected to implement another 25 basis point rate cut, with traders also focusing on its quarterly growth and inflation projections. The Swiss National Bank is also anticipated to announce another rate cut. Meanwhile, the latest US inflation data came in line with expectations, setting the stage for the Federal Reserve to reduce borrowing costs further next week. In premarket trade, Euro Stoxx 50 and Stoxx 600 futures...
Hong Kong stocks rose 61 points, or 0.3%, to 20,214 in early trade on Thursday, snapping losses from the previous two sessions. The gains followed the Nasdaq's overnight rise to a record high, with soft U.S. inflation in November strengthening bets for a Fed rate cut later this month. Meanwhile, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend his inauguration in Washington next month, CBS News said. Traders were keeping an eye on China's two-day Central Economic Work Conference that is expected to set policy for next year, following a stimulus signal from...
Asia-Pacific opened higher Wednesday, following gains on Wall Street that saw the Nasdaq Composite surge to record highs after November's inflation report met expectations. Traders in Asia assessed jobs data from Australia, which showed the country's unemployment rate dropped to 3.9% in November from 4.1% the month prior. A poll of economists from Reuters had expected the rate to rise to 4.2%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was trading 0.1% higher. Japan's Nikkei 225 climbed 1.7% at market open, while the Topix gained 1.3%. South Korea's Kospi index opened up 1%, while the small-cap Kosdaq...
The Nikkei 225 index edged up 0.01% to close at 39,372 on Wednesday, ending almost flat after weak signals from Wall Street overnight, as investors braced for a key US inflation report. Market sentiment was also affected by mixed economic data from Japan. The Reuters Tankan index turned negative in December, while the BSI manufacturing sentiment reading showed improvement in the fourth quarter. Additionally, data revealed that Japanese producer prices rose at the fastest pace in 16 months in November. Notable performers were index heavyweights Kawasaki Heavy (+10.3%), IHI Corp (6.3%) and...
The S&P 500 gained 0.9% on Wednesday, moving closer to its all-time highs, while the Nasdaq 100 surged 1.7%, reaching a new record. This rally followed November's inflation report, which aligned with economists' expectations and bolstered hopes for a likely Federal Reserve rate cut at its upcoming meeting. However, the Dow Jones lost 104 points, weighed down by a 5.6% slide in UnitedHealth shares. Tech stocks spearheaded the rally, pushing the sector's year-to-date gains beyond 24%, with significant contributions from communication services and consumer discretionary stocks. The...