The Hang Seng Index rose 192 points, or 0.75%, to end at 25,690 on Friday, extending its gains for a third session as all major sectors advanced. Sentiment was boosted by continued gains in mainland China's stock market amid reports that ByteDance had reached an agreement with three major investors to form a joint venture to operate the TikTok app in the US, aiming to avoid a potential ban. Hopes for fresh stimulus from Beijing before the end of the year also supported the market, while traders awaited the upcoming People's Bank of China (PBOC) interest rate decision. Man Wah Holdings...
Asia-Pacific stock markets opened higher on Friday, as investors awaited a key decision from the Bank of Japan (BOJ). Markets expect the BOJ to raise interest rates to 0.75%, the highest level since 1995. LSEG data shows an 86.4% chance of a rate hike, amid efforts to curb inflation, which has long been above target. This rate hike has the potential to strengthen the yen against the US dollar and help curb inflationary pressures. The latest Japanese government data showed consumer inflation fell to 2.9% in November, while core inflation remained at 3%, in line with economists' forecasts. On...
US stocks rose on Thursday, with the S&P 500 gaining 0.8%, the Nasdaq climbing 1.4%, and the Dow Jones adding about 66 points, after latest data showed inflation rate unexpectedly decreased. The annual inflation in the US fell to 2.7% in November, the lowest since July, below market expectations of 3.1%. Also, the core gauge fell to 2.6%, the lowest since March 2021. Although the figures remain noisy due to the absence of October data following the government shutdown, a sustained moderation in price pressures could pave the way for further Federal Reserve rate cuts next year. Consumer...
European stocks finished in positive territory on Thursday as traders positioned for central bank decisions today. The pan-European Stoxx 600 was almost 1% higher at the close of the session.Markets prepared for Europe's central banks to announce their final interest-rate decisions of the year on Thursday with the European Central Bank, Bank of England, Riksbank and Norges Bank all concluding monetary policy meetings on Thursday. The ECB kept rates at 2%, while Riksbank and Norges Bank also held steady. The Bank of England reduced its interest rate from 4% to 3.75%, in a...
Stocks rose on Thursday as Wall Street weighed the latest inflation data, which came in lighter-than-expected.The Dow Jones Industrial Average traded 339 points, or 0.8%. The S&P 500 popped 1.1%, while the Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.5%. Micron Technology jumped 13% after the semiconductor play topped Wall Street estimates on the top and bottom lines for the fiscal first quarter and offered a strong revenue forecast for the current period. Micron helped rekindle the artificial intelligence trade, which has seen weakness in recent sessions. The delayed November consumer price index...
The Hang Seng Index rose 29 points, or 0.1%, to close at 25,498 on Thursday (December 18), reversing early losses, led by gains primarily from the financial sector. Sentiment improved as mainland Chinese stocks extended gains, with traders shifting to defensive sectors amid concerns over global AI spending and regional tensions. Investors welcomed data showing China's youth unemployment rate fell to a five-month low of 16.9% in November, signaling a tentative stabilization in the labor market. Meanwhile, China's fiscal revenue grew 0.8% year-on-year in the first 11 months, matching the...