European stocks finished in positive territory on Thursday as traders positioned for central bank decisions today. The pan-European Stoxx 600 was almost 1% higher at the close of the session.Markets prepared for Europe's central banks to announce their final interest-rate decisions of the year on Thursday with the European Central Bank, Bank of England, Riksbank and Norges Bank all concluding monetary policy meetings on Thursday. The ECB kept rates at 2%, while Riksbank and Norges Bank also held steady. The Bank of England reduced its interest rate from 4% to 3.75%, in a...
US stocks extended their recovery as markets transitioned to looser Fed policy, with the Dow closing 0.9% higher, the S&P 500 gaining 0.4%, and the Nasdaq gaining 0.2%, as financial and defensive sectors outperformed due to a clear reweighting of near-term policy risks. ADP's surprise 32,000 decline in private payrolls pushed the chances of a Fed rate cut closer to certain. Wells Fargo and Citi each rose 3.5% as the prospect of looser policy reduced short-term funding costs and improved loan demand, while UnitedHealth jumped 4.7%. Marvel jumped 7.9% after raising its data center...
European stocks closed mixed on Wednesday (December 3) amid a series of corporate updates, as markets continued to gauge the euro's divergent interest rate outlook against that of the Fed and the ECB. The Eurozone STOXX 50 edged up 0.1% to 5,693, and the broader STOXX 600 gained 0.1% to 576. ECB President Lagarde noted that the bloc's inflation is expected to remain close to target, while Executive Board Member Lane warned of upside risks. Meanwhile, downbeat US jobs data reinforced speculation of a Fed rate cut next week. ASML jumped 2.6% after its ratings were upgraded by Bank of America...
Wall Street's main indexes opened lower on Wednesday, as investors assessed data pointing to a weak jobs market, while Microsoft fell after a report said the tech giant lowered its sales growth targets for certain artificial intelligence products. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 102.8 points, or 0.22%, at the open to 47,371.62. The S&P 500 fell 14.1 points, or 0.21%, at the open to 6,815.29, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 98.1 points, or 0.42%, to 23,315.58 at the opening bell. Source : Reuters
The Hang Seng tumbled 334 points, or 1.3%, to end at 25,761 on Wednesday, snapping a two-day rise as all sectors fell. Sentiment soured after a private survey showed China's services activity grew the least in five months in November, adding to pressure from deepening financial woes at property giant Vanke. The property sector led losses, down 1.6%, after Fitch placed Vanke on "Rating Watch Negative" and downgraded its subsidiary's notes. Financials, tech, and consumer stocks also retreated amid fading hopes for new stimulus before year-end. Still, the downside was limited by a Reuters...
The Nikkei 225 Index rose 1.14% to close at 49,865 on Wednesday, recouping losses from earlier in the week and following gains on Wall Street amid expectations of further US Federal Reserve rate cuts. Risk appetite also improved as investors weighed the potential for a year-end rally in global equities. At home, caution persisted as markets assessed speculation that the Bank of Japan could raise rates this month. BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda said the central bank would consider the pros and cons of a hike and act "as appropriate." Technology stocks led the advance, with strong gains from...