European stocks finished the session firmly higher, with the Euro STOXX 50 rising 0.7% and the STOXX Europe 600 gaining 0.8%, extending a rebound from Friday's tech-led selloff as investors looked past near-term volatility. Gains were broad-based, though the defense sector came under pressure after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signaled Ukraine's willingness to drop its long-standing bid for NATO membership in exchange for alternative security guarantees, a shift that raised hopes for progress in peace talks resuming in Berlin. Shares of Rheinmetall fell 2.6%, with Hensoldt and Renk also...
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,...
US stocks were higher on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 gaining 0.3%, the Nasdaq up 0.7%, and the Dow Jones adding about 20 points, attempting to rebound from Monday's losses. The risk-off mood that dominated the previous session eased, helped in part by a rebound in the Japanese bond market. Traders are also awaiting a series of economic releases due this week, including the September PCE report, ahead of next week's FOMC meeting, where the Fed is widely expected to cut the federal funds rate by 25 bps. Market pricing places the odds of such a move at around 87%. The tech sector booked the...