Stocks in the US closed near the flatline on Friday as investors weighed President Trump's push for higher tariffs on the European Union against strong economic data and corporate earnings. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 finished mostly muted near their records, while the Dow Jones dropped 142 points, pressured by a 2.2% decline in American Express shares. Trump reportedly demands a minimum 15-20% tariff in any deal with the EU, which is working to finalize an agreement before his August 1 deadline. On the corporate front, Netflix shares fell 5.1% despite beating revenue and earnings...
Japanese equities rose for a fifth day after trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa's extension of his US visit spurred hopes for a deal. Sentiment was also supported by the S&P 500 Index, which reached a new record on Friday. Topix Index climbed 0.4% to close at 2,852.84, just 2.6% below its previous all-time high set in July 2024. SoftBank Group Corp. contributed the most to the Topix Index gain, increasing 4.3%. Out of 1,681 stocks in the index, 897 rose and 705 fell, while 79 were unchanged. Nikkei advanced 0.8% to 40,487.39. The Topix Index rounded...
Japanese stocks rose after a decline in US consumer spending spurred expectations of a possible rate cut and improved investor sentiment as the S&P 500 Index reached a new high. The Topix Index rose 0.9% to 2,865.00 as of 9:33 a.m. Tokyo time, while the Nikkei advanced 1.4% to 40,719.74. SoftBank Group Corp. contributed the most to the Topix Index gain, increasing 5.2%. Out of 1,681 stocks in the index, 1,292 rose and 317 fell, while 72 were unchanged. Exporters such as machinery and precision instruments gained. Domestic demand-related shares such...
Asia-Pacific markets rose Monday as investors parsed a slew of data points, including South Korea and Japan's industrial output figures for May and China's purchasing managers' index readings for June. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 climbed 1.13% in early trade, while the broader Topix index advanced 0.77%. In South Korea, the Kospi index added 0.63%, while the small-cap Kosdaq was flat. Over in Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 started the day 0.3% higher. Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng index stood at 24,182, pointing to a weaker open compared to the HSI's last close of...
US stocks closed at record highs on Friday driven by optimism over pending trade agreements and rising expectations for interest rate cuts, as investors looked past President Donald Trump's comments about halting trade talks with Canada. The S&P 500 gained 0.5%, closing above its February peak, while the Nasdaq 100 also advanced 0.5% to a new high. The Dow Jones rose by 432 points. Earlier in the day, markets surged on encouraging news of trade progress with key partners, including a framework agreement with China. Although Trump's unexpected remarks on Canada briefly dented sentiment,...
European stocks posted their biggest weekly gain since mid-May on optimism that the European Union and the US can clinch some form of trade agreement in the coming weeks. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index rose 1.1% by the close, with automakers and consumer products stocks outperforming. It advanced 1.3% for the week, the most in six weeks. Sportswear companies Adidas AG and Puma SE rose after US peer Nike Inc.'s fourth-quarter revenue beat expectations and it said a yearlong sales decline is starting to ease. Bloomberg reported that European Commission President Ursula von...