The Hang Seng Index surged 327 points, or 1.3%, to close at 24,825 on Friday (July 18th), reversing two days of declines as all sectors rallied. The index hit a four-month high and rose 2.8% for the week, marking its second consecutive weekly gain. Strong momentum in mainland Chinese stocks boosted sentiment after Beijing pledged to curb massive price gouging by Chinese companies. Hong Kong's tech index jumped 1.7%, boosted by optimism after Nvidia said it would increase the supply of H20 chips that meet Chinese standards and introduce more advanced chips to the market. Solid gains also...
Japanese stocks fell after the yen strengthened as much as 1% against the dollar overnight and US technology shares slumped. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average dropped 2% as of 9:12 a.m. in Tokyo, while the broader Topix slipped 1.3%. Exporters such as automakers and technology companies were among the heaviest drags on the Topix. The yen reached a one-week high of 151.79 per dollar, after jumping as much as 1% on Thursday. Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said Thursday that currency markets have had a major impact on the economy, pointing to another potential...
Asia-Pacific markets are set for a mixed open on Friday, after Wall Street benchmarks the Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 posted their worst day in nearly two months on a downbeat Microsoft earnings forecast and MetaTrader results. Traders await a raft of economic data from the region, including Australia's third-quarter producer price index reading and China's Caixin manufacturing purchasing managers' index for October. Japan's Nikkei 225 appears set for a weaker open, with futures in Chicago at 38,470 and its Osaka counterpart at 38,370 against the index's last close of...