European stocks posted slight declines on Monday (July 21st) as markets continued to assess the trade outlook in the European Union. The Eurozone STOXX 50 fell 0.3% to close at 5,342, and the pan-European STOXX 600 fell 0.1% to 546. US officials maintained the threat of 30% tariffs on EU exports while the EU Commission continued to negotiate lower tariffs ahead of the August 1st deadline. Meanwhile, the EU also signaled that aggressive retaliation would be pursued if no deal was reached, risking escalation and higher prices in the bloc. Shares of luxury goods giants led the decline in the...
The S&P Global Hong Kong SAR PMI eased to 51.1 in December 2024, down from 51.2 in November, marking the third consecutive month of private sector expansion, though at its slowest pace in the current sequence. Growth in new business softened as demand from both Mainland China and international markets weakened, leading to slower output growth. Companies remained cautious and opted to reduce staffing levels, although they continued to increase their inventory of input products. At the same time, pricing pressures remained subdued, contributing to the sharpest decline in average selling...
Asia-Pacific markets mostly climbed Monday, with investors awaiting business activity figures from several key economies in the region. China's Caixin services purchasing managers' index from S&P Global is due later in the day. Market reaction in China will also be in focus after the country's central bank said over the weekend it would implement a "moderately loose" monetary policy in 2025.December PMI figures for India and Hong Kong will also be released MondayFutures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng index last traded at 19,827, pointing to a stronger open for the index compared to the HSI's...
US stocks closed higher on Friday, ending the first week of the new year on a positive note ahead of data that should provide more insights on the health of the largest economy in the world. At close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.8%, the S&P 500 index rose 1.3%, and the NASDAQ Composite index climbed 1.7%. The main Wall Street indexes reported stellar gains in 2024, but expectations of slower interest rate cuts and uncertainty over policies under incoming President Donald Trump have chipped away at this sentiment. In a relatively quiet day for economic data, investors will...
U.S. stocks moved higher on Friday as Wall Street tried to shake off a volatile start to the new year. The S&P 500 rose 1.2%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 319 points, or about 0.9%. The Nasdaq Composite gained about 1.6%. Tech stocks were a bright spot for the market on Friday. Chip giant Nvidia climbed 4%, while server maker Super Micro Computer jumped 6%. Tesla rose 4% to lead the consumer discretionary group. Friday's move came off a choppy trading session on Thursday that saw stocks close lower after a morning rally. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq have fallen for five...
European markets were lower on Friday after a rocky start to 2025 for stocks around the world. The Stoxx 600 was down 0.44% by 3:11 p.m. London time, with major regional bourses and sectors mostly trading in negative territory. Autos stocks led losses, down 1.97% as they extended Thursday's decline, while travel and leisure stocks shed 1.7%. One of the few sectors to rise was financial services stocks, which were last seen 0.46% higher. Oil and gas stocks also rose over 1%, led by gains for Finnish oil refiner Neste, which climbed 4.6% and was on course for its best week since October on...