European stocks closed lower for a third session amid persistent concerns about US tariffs. The Eurozone STOXX 50 index fell 1% to 5,288, and the pan-European STOXX 600 index fell 0.5% to 544. US Treasury Secretary Bessent noted that White House officials were prioritizing trade agreements they considered beneficial rather than rushing to reach a deal before the August 1 deadline, which could potentially pave the way for the imposition of 30% tariffs on the EU before negotiations conclude. Defense stocks were among the biggest decliners, with Rheinmetall, BAE Systems, and Thales falling...
Hong Kong shares rose 38 points, or 0.2%, to 18,818 in early trade on Thursday after a downbeat session the previous day, helped mainly by gains in the financial and technology sectors. Traders enthusiastically responded to China's latest move to turn around its sluggish stock market by encouraging insurance funds to increase the size and proportion of their investments in Chinese A-shares, or mainland-traded companies, and equity funds. The initiative could bring in at least hundreds of billions of yuan in new capital each year from state-owned insurers, the China Securities Regulatory...
Asia-Pacific markets opened mixed on Thursday (1/23) as investors digested a slew of economic data in the region. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 traded 0.42% lower at the open. Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.38% at the open, while the Topix gained 0.25%. South Korea's Kospi fell 0.21% and the Kosdaq traded 0.13% lower at the open. South Korea's economy grew 1.2% year-on-year in the fourth quarter, marking its slowest expansion since the second quarter of 2023. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index futures were at 19,924, higher than the HSI's last close of 19,778.77. Singapore is expected to report inflation...
The Nikkei 225 index rose 0.2% to around 39,730, while the broader Topix index rose 0.05% to 2,738 on Thursday, marking the fourth straight session of gains for Japanese stocks. However, caution prevailed as the Bank of Japan began its two-day policy meeting. The central bank is widely expected to raise interest rates and revise its inflation forecast higher on Friday, following hawkish remarks from senior BOJ officials. Meanwhile, data showed that Japanese exports beat expectations in December, while imports also showed positive growth. Notable gains were seen in major stocks, including...
Stocks climbed on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 hitting a fresh all-time high, as technology shares such as Oracle and Nvidiarallied on artificial intelligence optimism and President Donald Trump's new term in office. The S&P 500 advanced 0.61% after hitting an intraday record of 6,100.81, exceeding the last milestone touched in December before the market pullback. The broad index closed at 6,086.37, slightly below its all-time closing high. The Nasdaq Composite popped 1.28% to 20,009.34, underscoring the outperformance of tech names. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 130.92...
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) continues to lean into the bullish on Wednesday, climbing around 100 points and inching towards 44,200 as equities tilt into the buy button. There aren't any particular reasons for a fresh bull run to kick off, but investors aren't finding any particular reason for a turn into the bearish side, either.After a campaign trail full of almost-daily threats of wide-sweeping tariffs on all of the US' trading partners, President Donald Trump's big plans for day-one tariffs have evaporated into the ether. Fresh threats of an ambiguous level of import tariffs...