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 markets opened higher on Thursday morning after the Federal Reserve delivered its third interest rate cut this year. The Fed cut the Fed Funds Rate by 25 bps to a range of 3.5%–3.75% and signaled that the rate-cutting cycle may be temporarily paused. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell emphasized that they are now in a "comfortable" position to wait and see economic developments, while highlighting that President Donald Trump's tariffs are actually a driver of inflation. In the region, positive sentiment was immediately reflected in major stock indices. Japan's Nikkei 225 opened...
The Nikkei index opened up around 0.2% to 50,707.54, following positive sentiment on Wall Street after the Fed cut interest rates. Today's gains were led by financial and trading house stocks; Dai-ichi Life Holdings rose around 2.4%, while Sumitomo Corp. gained around 2.5%, reflecting a return to risk appetite in the Japanese stock market. On the currency side, USD/JPY weakened to 155.62 from 156.73 at the previous close, signaling a strengthening yen following the Fed's decision. Investors are now focusing on the release of domestic economic data and PM Sanae Takaichi's policy statement...
European equities edged lower on Wednesday as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of the Federal Reserve's policy decision, limiting risk taking across regional markets. The STOXX 50 fell 0.3%, while the STOXX 600 was little changed, reflecting broader uncertainty as traders waited for guidance on the US interest rate outlook beyond an expected cut later in the day. Investors were also weighing a series of corporate updates. Aegon sank nearly 10% to the bottom of the STOXX 600 after unveiling plans to relocate its head office to the US and rebrand under its largest subsidiary,...
European shares inched lower on Wednesday, as investors refrained from placing big bets ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's interest rate decision, while also parsing through a slate of corporate updates. The pan-European STOXX 600 was down 0.1% at 577.43 by 0808 GMT, on track for its fourth session of declines. Major regional benchmarks also dipped, with the ones in Germany and Spain down 0.1% each. France's CAC 40 also lost 0.1% after lawmakers narrowly approved the 2026 social security budget on Tuesday, handing the government a victory but at a political and financial...
The Hang Seng rose 106 points or 0.4% to close at 25,541 on Wednesday, rebounding from morning losses and closing in the green for the first time in three sessions as most sectors gained. Sentiment improved as traders anticipated a third straight rate cut from the U.S. Fed later today, along with rate projections through 2026 in the "dot plot." Markets also looked ahead to guidance from the upcoming Central Economic Work Conference in China, which is expected to emphasize a more proactive fiscal stance alongside moderately accommodative monetary support. Fresh data showed China's annual...