The Hang Seng added 18 points, or 0.1%, to close at 25,946 on Thursday, marking a fourth straight session of gains amid strength mainly from financials. Sentiment was lifted by Beijing's new plan to spur consumption, including rural consumer goods upgrades and support for sectors such as pets and toys. A modest rise in mainland stocks also aided risk appetite, amid optimism toward the domestic AI sector. On the data front, however, October figures showed China's industrial profits dropped for the first time in three months, reflecting weak domestic demand and export challenges. Trading was...
Asian stocks rallied, following Wall Street's gains, buoyed by confidence that the Federal Reserve could cut interest rates in December and a rebound in technology stocks. Japanese and South Korean stocks rose, while the index of Chinese companies listed in the US also rallied after President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping resumed talks following last month's tariff truce. Dovish comments from Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller, San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly, and New York Fed President John Williams reignited speculation of an interest rate cut. Currency markets now...
US stocks rallied at the start of the holiday-shortened week, with the S&P 500 rising 1.6%, the Nasdaq surging 2.6%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising more than 300 points as investors grew more confident that the Fed would soon ease policy. New York Fed President John Williams hinted at room for an interest rate cut in the near future, and Fed Governor Christopher Waller said recent labor market weakness makes a December rate cut plausible. According to CME FedWatch, futures markets currently have a roughly 79% probability of a 25-bps rate cut at the December 9-10 meeting....
European stocks recovered in afternoon trading and closed slightly higher on Monday (November 24th), paring losses from the previous week thanks to renewed dovish signals from key FOMC members. The Eurozone STOXX 50 rose 0.4% to 5,540, and the pan-European STOXX 600 gained 0.3% to 564. Technology stocks traded in the bloc closed sharply higher, following sentiment in US stocks that indicated a slight respite from last week's sell-off. Risk-sensitive sectors also benefited from Fed Chairman Waller's support for an interest rate cut next month. ASML rose 3% and Infineon jumped 3.5%, while...
European shares ended higher on Monday, boosted by technology-focused stocks as risk sentiment improved on growing expectations of a U.S. interest rate cut next month, while investors also focused on progress in the Ukraine peace plan. The pan-European STOXX 600 was up 0.31% to 563.83 points at close after the index logged its steepest weekly drop since late July on Friday. The upbeat momentum was led by Wall Street following dovish comments from U.S. Federal Reserve policymaker John Williams on Friday, signalling that interest rates could fall "in the near term". This bolstered the...
US stocks traded higher on Monday as markets kicked off a holiday-shortened Thanksgiving week. The S&P 500 rose 0.7%, Nasdaq gained 1.2%, and the Dow Jones advanced 120 points, with traders increasing bets on a Fed rate cut next month, following comments from the head of the NY Fed last Friday. The odd for a 25bps reduction in the fed funds rate currently stand at around 65%. Investors are also bracing for a busy week of economic data, including retail sales, durable goods orders, and PPI figures. Communication services and consumer discretionary were by far the top performers while...