European stocks ended mixed on the last trading day of the year. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index closed a shortened trading session 0.1% lower on Wednesday, with most sector indexes in negative territory. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 ended the day down 0.2%, bringing the index to an annual gain of 21.5% – its strongest yearly gain since 2009. Meanwhile, France's CAC 40 ended New Year's Eve down 0.2%, while Germany's DAX rose 0.6%. Italy's FTSE MIB gained 1.1%, bringing annual gains to 31.5% and its best year since 1998. Markets were open for a half-day of trading on Wednesday, and will be closed...
The Nikkei 225 index rose 1.14% to close at 49,865 on Wednesday, recovering losses from earlier in the week and tracking gains on Wall Street. This rise was driven by expectations that the US Federal Reserve will cut interest rates again, boosting investor risk appetite. However, Japanese market participants remained cautious amid speculation that the Bank of Japan could raise interest rates this month. BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda stated that the central bank is still weighing the positive and negative impacts before making a decision. The technology sector was the driving force behind the...
Shares in Hong Kong dipped 273 points, or 1.0%, to 25,826 in early Wednesday trade, reversing gains from the prior two sessions amid steep, broad-based losses across sectors. Traders were nervous ahead of key policy events in China, including the annual Central Economic Work Conference and the December Politburo meeting. Fresh private survey data also pressured sentiment, as China's services sector grew the least in five months during November, highlighting weakening economic momentum despite Beijing's efforts to boost activity. An extended decline in mainland markets also added to the...
Asia Pacific stock markets opened quietly on Wednesday morning, with investors awaiting the release of key economic data from the United States and signals on interest rate policy from the Federal Reserve. Major indices moved steadily after several days of volatility, indicating market caution ahead of the US central bank meeting. In Japan, the yen strengthened slightly against the US dollar on speculation of a Bank of Japan interest rate hike. Meanwhile, Tokyo and Hong Kong stock markets opened flat, with investors monitoring global developments and geopolitical situations that continue to...
The Nikkei index has the potential to rise in today's trading after Wall Street rallied overnight. Nikkei futures on the SGX rose around 0.6% to 49,590, signaling a fairly positive start. On Tuesday, the Nikkei closed nearly flat at 49,303.45, so the market is still waiting for a new trigger for a clearer move. On the foreign exchange market, the USD/JPY pair was at 155.83, slightly higher than the Tokyo stock market's closing position on Tuesday of 155.78. This slight weakening of the yen against the dollar typically benefits Japanese exporters, as their dollar earnings appear higher when...
US stocks rebounded on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 rising 0.3%, the Nasdaq up 0.9%, and the Dow Jones up 200 points as the market pared earlier losses and rebounded after Monday's sharp sell-off. Bitcoin's rebound supported risk appetite, while complex AI and software helped stabilize sentiment, with Nvidia up 0.9% and Palantir up 1.9%, although Broadcom fell 1.2% amid profit-taking. The gains were driven less by a string of big tech stocks than previously, but more by a string of high-flying stocks, including Boeing, which surged about 10.2%, Intel, which rose nearly 8.7%, and AppLovin,...