European shares closed higher on Tuesday, buoyed by better-than-expected corporate earnings and renewed optimism that the Federal Reserve may cut interest rates next month. The pan-European STOXX 600 index edged up 0.15%, with most regional bourses also trading in the green. Earnings season, in full swing, offered some relief for investors concerned about the impact of trade uncertainty on corporate performance. Diageo gained 4.9% after the world's biggest spirits maker forecast flat 2026 sales despite U.S. tariffs and upped its cost-savings target. The stock boosted the food &...
The Hang Seng surged 776 points, or 3.3%, to close at 24,370, marking its third straight gain and its highest level in more than three years, with all sectors gaining. Investors viewed policy signals from China's annual parliamentary meeting positively, prompting increased buying. The technology sector rose 5.4%, led by an 8.5% surge in Alibaba Group, which has surged 46% since hitting a 2025 low on Jan. 13, on optimism over its AI development efforts. Consumer, property and financial stocks also rose strongly, as traders bet that the latest U.S. tariff hike under President Trump would not...
European markets opened higher on Thursday as investors eyed further earnings releases and awaited the latest monetary policy decision from the European Central Bank. The regional Stoxx 600 index rose 0.26% shortly after the market opened. Air France-KLM shares rose more than 16% after the airline group beat market expectations for full-year and fourth-quarter operating profits. Germany's Lufthansa rose 7% on its own annual results, which showed a decline in annual profit but also slightly above consensus. DHL Group, listed as Deutsche Post, jumped 9% after announcing a 1 billion euro...
Japan stocks were higher after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Shipbuilding, Textile and Marine Transport sectors led shares higher. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 rose 0.91%. The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Japan Steel Works Ltd (TYO:5631), which rose 15.86% or 843.00 points to trade at 6,159.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (TYO:7011) added 10.79% or 245.50 points to end at 2,520.50 and Okuma Corp. (TYO:6103) was up 8.04% or 265.00 points to 3,560.00 in late trade. The worst performers of the session were Mitsubishi...
Shares in Hong Kong soared 520 points or 2.2 to 24,115 on Thursday morning deals, marking the third session of gains while reaching their highest level in over three years. This followed an overnight rally on Wall Street in the wake of President Trump's announcement of a one-month exemption on auto tariffs for Mexico and Canada. Traders keenly added new positions after China projected a 5% GDP growth for 2025 during a parliamentary session, keeping the same forecast as 2024 despite trade tensions with the US. Moreover, Beijing announced plans to issue CNY 1.3 trillion in ultra-long...
Asia-Pacific markets opened mostly higher Thursday, as Wall Street rose overnight after U.S. President Donald Trump postponed tariffs on certain automakers. Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.76%, while the Topix climbed 0.78%. Yields of Japanese government bond yields have surged, with the 10-year Japanese bond yield hitting its highest level since 2009, data from LSEG showed. South Korea's Kospi advanced 0.61% while the small-cap Kosdaq inched up 0.38%. South Korea's consumer inflation for February rose 2% year on year, more than Reuters estimates of a 1.95% increase, and slower than the 2.2%...