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...
Hong Kong's shares rose 97 points or 0.5% to 19,532 in early trade on Friday, ending losses in the prior five months amid gains across all sectors. Traders digested activity data from China showing retail turnover rose to an eight-month high in October and the jobless rate fell to a four-month low. Nevertheless, industrial output in the mainland grew less than expected. Also supporting sentiment were hopes of favorable outcomes from the Chinese central government's work forum and a Politburo meeting in December. Cathay Pacific jumped over 9%, on a plan to repurchase convertible bonds. Other...
The Shanghai Composite fell 1.73% to close at 3,380 while the Shenzhen Component dropped 2.83% to 11,038 on Thursday, giving back gains from the previous session amid a lack of market-moving news.Sentiment was cautious as investors continued to weigh the potential impact of US President-elect Donald Trump's trade policies and the appointment of anti-China figures on China's economy and markets.Additionally, Beijing's latest support measures to bolster the struggling economy failed to impress.Despite the finance ministry unveiling tax incentives for home and land transactions on Wednesday,...
The Nikkei 225 jumped 1.1% to above 38,900 while the broader Topix index rose 1% to 2,728 on Friday, with Japanese shares snapping a three-day slide as solid GDP data lifted market sentiment. Japan's economy expanded 0.3% year-on-year in the third quarter, ending two straight quarters of declines amid further improvements in private consumption and government spending. Local shares also benefited from a sharply weaker yen that boosted the profit outlook for Japan's export-driven industries. Meanwhile, investors remained cautious after U.S. Fed Chair Powell said that strong U.S. economic...
Stocks extended losses after Jerome Powell signaled the Federal Reserve is in no rush to cut rates as the economy is holding up. The equity market closed near session lows, US two-year yields spiked and the dollar climbed after Powell's remarks. Traders dialed back bets on a December rate reduction to around 55% — from 80% in the previous day. "Powell's speech was hawkish," said Neil Dutta at Renaissance Macro Research. "I think they will still cut in December since policy remains restrictive and they want to get to...
European stocks extended morning gains and closed sharply higher on Thursday, trimming the losses from the prior two sessions with support from a batch of earnings, while markets continued to gauge the impact that the new Republican-led US government may have on the global corporate sector. The Stoxx 50 added 1.9% to close at 4,830, and the Stoxx 600 rose 1.1% to close at 507. ASML, the Stoxx 50's heaviest company, soared 7% after the company forecasted sales to grow by 8% to 14% over the coming five years. Also, Siemens added 4.9% after posting a higher-than-expected profit although it...