Hong Kong shares edged up 51 points, or 0.2%, to 25,824 in Wednesday morning trade, reversing mild losses from the previous session after Wall Street's S&P 500 closed at a fresh high overnight as data showed the U.S. economy grew at its fastest pace in two years. Investors weighed reports that China plans to step up urban renewal and strengthen efforts to stabilize the property market starting in 2026, at the launch of its new Five-Year Plan (2026–2030). However, gains were capped by local data showing Hong Kong's current account surplus narrowed to HKD 98.2 billion in Q3 2025 from HKD...
The Nikkei 225 jumped 1.14% to close at 38,790 while the broader Topix index rose 0.73% to 2,781 on Tuesday, with Japanese stocks ending a three-day losing streak after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Iran and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire. Investors largely shrugged off Iran's retaliatory attack on a U.S. military base in Qatar, which caused no casualties, and took comfort in the fact that Iran avoided targeting the critical Strait of Hormuz, easing fears of a wider disruption to global oil supplies. On the trade front, Japanese negotiator Ryosei Akazawa reportedly planned...
Hong Kong stocks jumped 400 points, or 1.7%, to 24,091 in early trading on Tuesday, rising for a third straight session and hitting a one-week high. Sentiment was boosted by a rally in U.S. futures and easing geopolitical tensions after President Trump announced a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Iran, starting around midnight Monday, Washington time. The market also welcomed comments from Fed Vice Chair Michelle Bowman, who hinted at the possibility of an interest rate cut as early as July. In China, the top legislature, known as the NPC Standing Committee, will meet this week to...
Asia-Pacific markets rose on Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Iran and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire. "It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total Ceasefire… for 12 hours, at which point the War will be deemed OVER!" Trump wrote on Truth Social. However, neither Iran nor Israel has publicly confirmed that they have accepted Trump's ceasefire timetable. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 1.59%, while the broader Topix index gained 1.32%. South Korea's Kospi jumped 2.09% and the small-cap Kosdaq index gained...
The Nikkei 225 jumped 1.3% to above 38,800 while the broader Topix index rose 1.2% to 2,794 on Tuesday, ending a three-day losing streak after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Iran and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire, calling the conflict the "12-Day War." Investors also appeared to shrug off Tehran's retaliatory attack on a U.S. military base in Qatar that caused no casualties. Also, Iran avoided targeting the critical Strait of Hormuz, easing concerns about a wider disruption to global oil supplies. At home, investors continued to assess the Bank of Japan's monetary policy...
The European stock markets closed lower in Monday trading as The Stoxx Europe 600 lost 0.19%, Germany's DAX was down 0.33%, the FTSE 100 was off 0.14%, France's CAC 40 slid 0.67%, and the Swiss Market Index declined 0.10%. The seasonally-adjusted HCOB Flash Composite PMI Output Index, which gauges the health of European manufacturing remained unchanged at 50.2 in June from May and registered above the 50 threshold indicating expansion for a sixth straight month. However, the expansion of business activity continues to be marginal. In the UK, the S&P Global UK Consumer Sentiment Index...