The Nikkei 225 rose 1% to around 40,200, while the broader Topix Index gained 0.9% to 2,860 in post-holiday trading on Tuesday, extending last week's gains as investors digested the weekend's election outcome. Although Japan's ruling coalition lost its majority in the upper house, the result was largely anticipated by markets. Importantly, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is expected to remain in office, easing fears of political instability or a sudden resignation. Ishiba reaffirmed his commitment to stay on, citing the need to manage ongoing tariff negotiations with the US and other key...
U.S. stocks sold off on Friday, with the S&P 500 erasing its 2025 gains, after an upbeat jobs report stoked fresh inflation fears, reinforcing bets that the Federal Reserve will be cautious in cutting interest rates this year. Wall Street's main indexes closed their second consecutive week in the red. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI), fell 696.75 points, or 1.63%, to 41,938.45, the S&P 500 (.SPX), lost 91.21 points, or 1.54%, to 5,827.04 and the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC), lost 317.25 points, or 1.63%, to 19,161.63. The domestically focused small-cap Russell 2000 index...
The STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 fell nearly 1% on Friday, driven lower by a stronger-than-expected U.S. jobs report that reinforced the Federal Reserve's cautious stance on future rate cuts. This, combined with inflation concerns, the ongoing UK debt market crisis, and uncertainty over President-elect Trump's potential tariff policies, weighed heavily on investor sentiment. Most sectors and bourses were in the red, with utilities and food & beverage stocks dropping 2.3%, while autos were the exception, rising 0.48%. Major companies like LVMH (-0.7%), SAP (-0.9%), and ASML Holding (-1.3%)...
US stocks fell on Friday, with the S&P 500 down 07%, the Dow Jones down about 230 points and the Nasdaq down 1%, after a better-than-expected jobs report underscored the resilience of the US labor market, reinforcing the Federal Reserve's cautious approach to further interest rate cuts. The US economy unexpectedly added 256,000 jobs in December, well above the 160,000 forecast, and the unemployment rate unexpectedly fell to 4.1% from 4.2% while wage growth slowed to 0.3% as expected. Traders expect the Fed to leave the federal funds rate steady through the second half of the year....
European markets traded flat to down on Friday amid concerns about the UK debt market, with attention now turning to US jobs data that could provide clues on the Fed's interest rate path The Stoxx 50 fell 0.1% and the Stoxx 600 was flat. Ubisoft shares fell more than 8% after it announced a review of its strategic options following speculation about a potential buyout. Investors also monitored a surge in UK bond yields, with the 30-year yield hitting a level not seen since the late 1990s and the 10-year yield hitting its highest since the 2008 financial crisis, reflecting growing concerns...
The Hang Seng fell 177 points, or 0.9%, to close at 19,064 on Friday, down for a fifth straight session and hitting its lowest in more than six weeks as sectors broadly lost ground. Nervous traders reacted to the People's Bank of China's decision to halt purchases of government bonds that sent yields soaring. Investors are cautiously awaiting China's December trade data, due later in the week. Exports grew less than expected in November, while imports unexpectedly shrank. Meanwhile, U.S. futures pointed to a weaker open on Wall Street, with traders preparing for the NFP data later in the...