US stocks rallied on Monday (July 21), with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq hitting new record highs as a strong start to the earnings season overshadowed concerns about impending tariffs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose more than 200 points, driven by solid gains in leading tech stocks like MetaTrader, Amazon, and Alphabet. So far, more than 85% of S&P 500 companies that have reported earnings have beaten expectations, fueling optimism despite rising market valuations. Verizon shares jumped more than 4% after its earnings beat expectations, while Block's surged more than 8% after news...
European markets, including the Stoxx 600, FTSE 100 and CAC 40, traded almost flat on Tuesday ahead of the New Year holiday, reflecting a subdued mood amid political uncertainty and cautious sentiment. Wizz Air bucked the trend, rising on an upbeat growth forecast for 2026. Regional markets are set to close 2024 with modest gains, with the Stoxx 600 up 5.5% for the year. European equities have lost momentum after hitting a record high in September, weighed down by concerns about U.S. tariffs under President-elect Trump and political instability in France and Germany. The CAC 40 is down 2.5%...
European equity markets opened flat on Tuesday, the last trading day of 2024, as traders wrapped up activity ahead of the New Year holiday. Most regional markets are scheduled to close early or remain closed until Jan. 2. Meanwhile, market participants are closely watching how significant U.S. policy shifts, including tariffs, deregulation and tax reform under President-elect Donald Trump, could affect Europe in the year ahead. European stocks remain on track to post modest annual gains. In Asia, official data showed that China's factory activity expanded at a slower pace in December,...
Asian stocks eased on Tuesday in cautious end-of-year trading that has seen investors scale back bets of deep U.S. rate cuts in 2025 and brace for the incoming Trump administration, with the dollar standing tall against most other currencies. Volumes were light with a holiday for the New Year looming and Japan on holiday for the rest of the week, with the Santa-rally losing some steam as elevated Treasury yields weigh on high equity valuations and boost the greenback. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan nudged down 0.2% but was set for an 8% gain in 2024, its second...
Stocks in Hong Kong rose 84 points or 0.4% to 20,123 in morning deals on the last trading day of 2024, swinging from a weak session the prior day. This rise was driven by strength in property, consumers, and financials. Sentiment was uplifted by official PMI data from China, indicating that factory activity in December grew for the third month, despite a slower rate of increase. Meanwhile, the service sector rose the most in nine months, following stabilization in November. Some early movers included China Mengniu Dairy (4.2%), Haidilao Intl. (4.0%), and Pop Mart Intl. (3.4%). The Hang...
Stocks moved lower Monday in one of the final trading sessions of 2024, as a banner year for investors appears to be ending on a sour note. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lose 418.48 points, or 0.97%, to close at 42,573.73. The S&P 500 fell 1.07% to 5,906.94, and the Nasdaq Composite slid 1.19% to 19,486.78. Trading was choppy throughout the day, and the Dow was down more than 700 points at session lows. There was no apparent news catalyst for Monday's decline, and trading was expected to be light given the shortened week. The SPDR S&P 500 Trust (SPY) had about 47 million shares...