Hong Kong stocks rose modestly on Tuesday, as investors positioned ahead of the Politburo meeting in China that could set the economic tone for the rest of the year, while sentiment remained upbeat following the launch of the world's largest hydropower dam project on the eastern rim of the Tibetan Plateau. The Hang Seng Index gained 135.89 points, or 0.5%, to close at 25,130.03, while the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index (HSCEI) added 35.40 points, or 0.4%, to 9,075.60. Focus is now on the upcoming Politburo meeting, convened by Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month, which could...
Asia-Pacific markets rose on Monday as investors assessed escalating Israel-Iran tensions, while awaiting a batch of data from China. Oil prices surged as Israel and Iran traded barbs, while gold prices rose, as investors sought refuge in the safe-haven metal as equity markets slumped globally. The barbs continued over the weekend. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.87%, while the broader Topix index gained 0.92%. In South Korea, the Kospi index rose 0.55%, while the small-cap Kosdaq gained 0.31%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.24% in early trade. Investors will keep a close eye on...
The STOXX 50 dropped 1.4% and the STOXX 600 declined 1% on Friday, with both indexes closing nearly one-month lows, as rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East triggered a broad flight to safety. Israel's launched a wave of strikes against Iran targeting nuclear infrastructure and military facilities, killing two top Iranian commanders. Israel has warned of further action, while Iran has vowed retaliation and has already deployed drones toward Israeli territory. The auto sector was among the worst performers, namely Stellantis (-3.4%), Ferrari (-2.8%), Mercedes-Benz (-1.6%), and BMW...
Wall Street's main indexes fell on Friday after Israel's deadly strike on Iranian nuclear facilities inflamed tensions in the oil-rich Middle East and battered risk sentiment across global markets. Israel has warned that the widescale strikes were the start of a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon. Iran has promised a harsh response. Oil prices surged nearly 7% on fears the conflict could disrupt crude supply from the Middle East. U.S. energy stocks rose in tandem, with Exxon (NYSE:XOM) up 1.7%. Airline stocks dropped as fuel costs could surge if supply...
US stocks fell on Friday, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq down 0.7% and the Dow Jones down nearly 500 points, amid a flight to safe havens driven by rising tensions in the Middle East. Israel launched a preemptive strike on Iran, targeting a nuclear facility and vowing to continue operations until the threat is neutralized. Airline stocks fell sharply, with American Airlines down 4.8%, Delta Air Lines down 4.5% and United Airlines down 5%. Megacap technology stocks also fell, including Nvidia (-1.4%), Microsoft (-0.2%), Apple (-0.5%), Amazon (-1%), Meta (-0.4%), Alphabet (-1.1%), and Tesla...
The Hang Seng fell 143 points, or 0.6%, to close at 23,892 on Friday, extending losses for a second session as Wall Street futures slumped and global markets turned red following Israel's military strikes on Iran the previous day. Rising tensions in the Middle East added a new layer of uncertainty to already fragile global markets, which are still under pressure from President Trump's aggressive and unpredictable trade policies. The index moved away from a nearly three-month high, as most sectors declined. The technology index fell 1.7%, led by sharp declines in Horizon Robotics (-4.3%),...