US stocks were little changed on Tuesday, with the three major indexes hovering around the flatline as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of a potential government shutdown that could disrupt the release of key labor data later this week. The government faces the risk of shutting down tomorrow if Democrats and Republicans fail to reach a deal today, putting Friday's payrolls report at risk. Traders also awaited the JOLTS job openings data due later in the day. Energy and communication services were the worst performing sectors while utilities outperformed. Microsoft (-0.6%), Amazon...
The Nikkei 225 fell 2% to below 40,000 and the broader Topix index fell 1.8% to 2,895 on Monday (August 4), with both indexes hitting near two-week lows as Japanese stocks followed Wall Street's sharp decline. The sell-off followed US President Donald Trump's massive retaliatory tariffs of 10% to 41% on several trading partners, alongside a weaker-than-expected US jobs report that deepened economic concerns. Domestically, investors awaited the minutes of the Bank of Japan's latest policy meeting for clues on the timing of its next interest rate hike. Technology stocks led the decline, with...
US Stocks plunged on Friday, as investors reacted to a weak July jobs report and a fresh round of tariffs announced by President Trump. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq fell 1.6% and 2.2%, their steepest drops since April, while the Dow lost 542 points. Payrolls rose by just 73,000 in July, far below expectations, with sharp downward revisions to prior months signaling deeper labor market weakness. Treasury yields fell and the odds of a September Fed rate cut rose above 80%. Sentiment worsened after new tariffs of 10% to 41% were imposed on imports from key partners including Canada, India, and...
The European stock markets closed sharply lower in Friday trading as The Stoxx Europe 600 fell 1.8%, Germany's DAX dropped 2.5%, the FTSE 100 was down 0.7%, France's CAC decreased 2.9%, and the Swiss Market Index declined 0.8%. The annual inflation rate in the euro area was an estimated 2.0% in July, which is unchanged from June, according to a flash estimate from Eurostat, the EU's statistical office. Analysts had been expecting 1.9%, according to Bloomberg. Eurostat said food, alcohol, and tobacco are expected to have the highest annual rate in July at 3.3%, compared with 3.1% in...
US stocks opened sharply lower in August, with all three major indexes falling more than 1%, as a weaker-than-expected jobs report fueled renewed concerns about the strength of the US labor market and the overall economy. Non-farm payrolls rose by just 73,000 in July, and employment figures for May and June were revised down by 258,000, adding to evidence that the labor market is slowing more rapidly than anticipated. The weaker data fueled expectations that the Fed would cut interest rates twice this year, with another cut likely in September. Market pressure intensified when President...
The Hang Seng Index plunged 265 points, or 1.1%, to close at 24,508 on Friday (August 1), weakening for a fourth session and hitting a two-week low. Risk sentiment weakened after the US imposed high tariffs on dozens of trading partners, while US futures prices fell sharply after higher June inflation data. The new tariffs are expected to add to price pressures, fueling concerns about further inflation. Traders are also cautious ahead of US employment data due later today. For the week, the index fell 3.5%, its first weekly decline in four weeks, amid concerns about slowing Chinese...