The Nikkei 225 and Topix indexes rallied nearly 2% on Wednesday, with the latter reaching one-year highs after US President Donald Trump announced a trade agreement with Japan that includes a 15% tariff on Japanese exports to the US. Trump also revealed that Japan will invest $550 billion into the US and open its markets to key American goods. The news sparked broad-based gains, led by Japanese automakers. Toyota Motor jumped 9.8%, Honda Motor rose 8.8%, and Nissan Motor climbed 9%. Financials, industrials, and consumer stocks also posted strong advances, reflecting optimism over improved...
Europe's benchmark index closed at a record high on Thursday, led by real estate stocks, as investors priced in more monetary policy easing by the European Central Bank this year and assessed a mixed bag of corporate results.The ECB lowered borrowing costs by an expected 25 basis points to 2.75% and kept the door open to further policy easing as concerns over lacklustre economic growth superseded worries about persistent inflation.The decision came on the heels of data showing the euro zone economy unexpectedly stagnated last quarter. Traders now expect about 70 bps worth of rate cuts by...
European stock markets rose on Thursday, as investors digested a flood of corporate earnings ahead of the European Central Bank's latest policy decision and the release of regional growth data. At 3:05 a.m. ET (08:05 GMT), Germany's DAX was up 0.2%, France's CAC 40 was up 0.3% and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 was up 0.1%. European equities benefited on Thursday from a rise in U.S. stock futures after the release of quarterly results from a number of megatech companies after the previous session's close, following the Federal Reserve's decision to keep interest rates unchanged. However, attention...
Japanese stocks edged higher after the close on Thursday (1/30), as gains in the Communications, Electrical/Machinery and Manufacturing sectors helped stocks advance. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 was up 0.03%. The best performers on the Nikkei 225 were CyberAgent Inc (TYO:4751), which rose 4.94% or 56.00 points to close at 1,190.00. Meanwhile, DeNA Co Ltd (TYO:2432) gained 4.33% or 117.00 points to close at 2,820.00 and Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co Ltd (TYO:4506) gained 3.66% or 21.00 points to close at 594.00. The worst performers on the session were Japan Exchange Group Inc...
The Nikkei 225 Index slipped 0.1% to just below 39,400, while the broader Topix Index dropped 0.2% to 2,770 on Thursday, paring gains from the previous session. The declines mirrored losses on Wall Street overnight, following the Federal Reserve's decision to pause its rate-cutting cycle and its acknowledgment that inflation remains "somewhat elevated." Investor sentiment was also impacted by mixed earnings from major US tech companies, including Tesla, Meta Platforms, and Microsoft. Notable losses were seen in companies such as Sumitomo Mitsui (-1.3%), SoftBank Group (-1%), Keyence...
The Federal Reserve kept interest rates at the current target range of 4.25% to 4.50% at the conclusion of its January meeting, but policymakers warned that inflation remains "somewhat elevated." The pause comes after the central bank cut rates three consecutive times to end 2024.At his press conference, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell emphasized that the central bank is in no hurry to adjust its policy stance, particularly as the economy remains strong.There is a wide range of possibilities when it comes to the potential effects of tariffs, according to Fed Chair Powell."The range of...