Asian stock markets fluctuated at the start of the week, following the modest gains in US stocks last Friday. Investors are now turning their attention to a series of key economic data ahead of the Federal Reserve's expected interest rate cut decision this month. Amid the uncertainty, oil prices surged after OPEC+ maintained its policy of temporarily halting production increases, while silver hit another record. Meanwhile, S&P 500 futures weakened after the major US indexes briefly gained 0.5% despite technical glitches on the CME. This week will be crucial for the US economic outlook....
Japanese stock markets opened sluggishly and were immediately dragged down by concerns about the state of the United States economy and the outlook for domestic corporate earnings. The electronics and pharmaceutical sectors were the biggest drags, with NEC Corp. falling 2.2% and Sumitomo Pharma plunging 4.3%. On the currency side, USD/JPY weakened to 155.85, lower than Friday's close of 156.39, adding to market sentiment. Investors are now awaiting clear signals from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government, particularly regarding her plans to strengthen the Japanese economy and warm...
European stocks ended Friday in positive territory as investors digested the end of a choppy month. The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed the session 0.2% higher, with major bourses and most sectors in positive territory. November has been a volatile month for equities with fears of stretched AI valuations resurfacing, causing a rollercoaster of relief rallies and sell-offs adding to insights from the latest earnings season and uncertainty over monetary policy. However, global markets were buoyed this week by rising expectations of an interest rate cut by the U.S. Federal Reserve when it next...
Hong Kong Stock MarketThe Hang Seng fell 87 points or 0.3% to end at 25,859 on Friday, ending a four-day winning streak as weakness in property and financial stocks weighed on the index. Sentiment weakened amid caution ahead of China's official November PMI data due over the weekend and private survey readings next week. Traders also grew wary as major mainland benchmarks neared multi-year highs on AI-driven optimism, raising concerns about increased volatility heading into year-end. Losses were limited by a modest rise in U.S. futures ahead of a shortened Wall Street session following...
Both the STOXX 50 and the STOXX 600 hovered around the flatline on the final trading day of a volatile November, as the recent rally in global equities showed signs of losing momentum and investors awaited fresh catalysts. On the data front, inflation in France unexpectedly held steady at 0.9%, while Spain's rate eased to 3%, reinforcing expectations that the ECB will maintain its current policy stance. LVMH (+0.5%), Shell (+0.7%), Siemens (+0.3%), Inditex (+0.2%), and Schneider Electric (+0.3%) traded higher, while Nestlé (-0.4%), Hermès (-0.2%), and EssilorLuxottica (-1.3%) moved...