The Nikkei 225 Index shed 0.05% to close at 40,655 while the broader Topix Index gained 0.4% to 2,920 on Wednesday, with Japanese shares struggling for clear direction as investors braced for the latest Bank of Japan monetary policy decision. The central bank is widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged on Thursday amid uncertainty over the economic fallout from recent US tariffs. However, the central bank is likely to raise its inflation forecast in its quarterly outlook, reflecting ongoing price pressures. Investors also weighed prospects of another extension to the tariff truce...
The Hang Seng tumbled 441 points or 1.9% to close at 23,108 on Tuesday, ending an eight-sessions of gains as all sectors fell. Despite a Sino-U.S. trade truce that exceeded market expectations, traders grew uneasy about what may follow once temporary pause ends. Profit-taking also weighed on the market after the index hit a 1-1/2-month high in the prior session. A drop in U.S. futures further dented sentiment, ahead of key inflation data later today. Meanwhile, concerns over deflation risks in China mounted, as consumer prices fell for the third month in April and producer prices saw a...
European stock markets opened in positive territory on Tuesday (5/13) as uncertainty over the global trade outlook persisted despite a 90-day pause in the tariff dispute between the U.S. and China. The pan-European Stoxx 600 was 0.26% higher at 8:15 a.m. in London. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 was 0.12% higher, France's CAC 40 was 0.06% higher and Germany's DAX was up 0.16%. This comes after global markets rallied on Monday following news that Washington and Beijing had agreed to cut high tariffs for 90 days, raising hopes that a full-blown trade war could be averted. Asia-Pacific markets...
Japanese stocks rose after the close on Tuesday (5/13), as gains in the Real Estate, Banking and Textile sectors helped stocks advance. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 gained 1.54%. The best performers on the Nikkei 225 were Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. (TYO:5801), which rose 13.84% or 681.00 points to trade at 5,601.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Denka Co Ltd (TYO:4061) rose 9.84% or 191.00 points to close at 2,132.50 and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (TYO:7211) gained 8.34% or 34.60 points to 449.60 at the close. The worst performers on the session were Sharp Corp (TYO:6753), which fell...
Hong Kong shares plunged 343 points, or 1.5%, to 23,205 during the morning session on Tuesday, ending an eight-day winning streak as investors locked in profits after the Hang Seng hit a 1-1/2-month high. U.S. futures also edged lower ahead of a key inflation report. At the same time, concerns over persistent deflation in China resurfaced after consumer prices fell for a third straight month in April, while factory-gate prices posted their sharpest drop in six months. However, losses were somewhat tempered by a significant lull in U.S.-China trade tensions after high-level talks, with the...
The Nikkei 225 jumped 2.1% to above 38,400, while the broader Topix index gained 1.8% to 2,790 on Tuesday, as Japanese equities hit a multi-month high following a strong rally on Wall Street. The market gains came after the U.S. and China agreed to temporarily lower tariffs, easing fears of a prolonged trade war and reducing the risk of a global recession. In a related development, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stressed that Japan would not accept an initial trade deal with the U.S. unless it included provisions on the auto sector, urging Washington to remove 25% tariffs on Japanese...