Hong Kong shares edged up 51 points, or 0.2%, to 25,824 in Wednesday morning trade, reversing mild losses from the previous session after Wall Street's S&P 500 closed at a fresh high overnight as data showed the U.S. economy grew at its fastest pace in two years. Investors weighed reports that China plans to step up urban renewal and strengthen efforts to stabilize the property market starting in 2026, at the launch of its new Five-Year Plan (2026–2030). However, gains were capped by local data showing Hong Kong's current account surplus narrowed to HKD 98.2 billion in Q3 2025 from HKD...
European stocks fell on Wednesday, with the STOXX 50 down 0.2% and the STOXX 600 down 0.3%, as investors remained cautious ahead of the Federal Reserve's monetary policy decision later in the day. The central bank is widely expected to keep the federal funds rate unchanged, but all eyes will be on clues about the future path of monetary policy. Meanwhile, traders also digested a fresh batch of corporate earnings, while news that the U.S. and China will hold trade talks this week in Geneva did little to boost investor confidence. On the earnings front, Novo Nordisk shares rose more than 3%...
Japanese stocks were down after the close on Wednesday (07/05), as losses in the Paper & Pulp, Transportation and Communications sectors led shares lower. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 was down 0.20%. The best performers on the Nikkei 225 were Marubeni Corp. (TYO:8002), which rose 6.39% or 162.00 points to trade at 2,698.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Japan Airlines Co Ltd (TYO:9201) gained 5.25% or 138.00 points to close at 2,767.50 and Sompo Holdings Inc (TYO:8630) gained 4.75% or 215.00 points to 4,745.00 in late trade. The worst performers on the session were Eisai Co., Ltd....
Hong Kong markets jumped more than 2% to lead gains in Asia-Pacific after China's central bank and financial regulator announced sweeping plans to cut benchmark interest rates in a bid to shore up growth amid trade concerns. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 2.07%. Elsewhere, markets in the region were mostly higher after reports that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and trade representative Jamieson Greer will meet their Chinese counterparts this week. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.22% while the Topix gained 0.38%. South Korea's Kospi gained 0.32% while the small-cap Kosdaq...
The Nikkei 225 and Topix indexes rose on Wednesday, with Japanese shares holding near a one-month high as optimism over potential US-China trade talks lifted market sentiment. Reports that senior US officials will meet with their Chinese counterparts in Switzerland this week fueled hopes for easing tensions, supporting gains across global markets. Investors are also monitoring developments in ongoing bilateral US-Japan trade talks, with Tokyo aiming to finalize a deal by June. Adding to the positive tone, Japan's services PMI for April was revised up, showing the strongest increase in new...
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) followed the broader stock market lower on Tuesday, with equities taking a soft hit ahead of the Federal Reserve's (Fed) upcoming rate call on Wednesday. Investors are also awaiting any meaningful update from the Trump administration on a slew of trade deals that are allegedly in the works. Still, details remain light to the point of being non-existent. The Fed is broadly expected to keep rates on hold on Wednesday, but Fed talking points will be taking on added significance for market participants hoping for signs of a pivot into a rate-cutting cycle...