The Hang Seng Index reversed its downward trend in Hong Kong on Thursday (February 12th), weakening by around 0.9% to around 27,000 after a strong session earlier. This decline halted the momentum of the short term rally, as investors began to reduce risk in large cap stocks. Among the index's contributors, Tencent was a major drag, with its shares falling by around 2.3%, putting pressure on the technology sector, which has recently been a driving force behind market gains. Weakness in large cap companies like this typically quickly impacts sentiment due to their significant weighting in...
The STOXX 50 was up 0.8% and the STOXX 600 soared 0.6% on Monday, rebounding from Friday's losses, as traders hope the new US tariffs set to take effect on April 2nd could be softer and more targeted than initially anticipated. Reports emerged that President Donald Trump's coming wave of tariffs is poised to be more targeted than the barrage he has occasionally threatened.Meanwhile, traders were also digesting fresh PMI data, with figures for France beating forecasts while in Germany, both composite and services PMIs came below forecast although the manufacturing one beat. Basic resources,...
The Hang Seng climbed 216 points or 0.9% to finish at 23,905 on Monday, rebounding from a subdued morning session. The rally followed strong gains in U.S. futures after President Trump hinted at possible "flexibility" in his reciprocal tariff plan ahead of the April 2 deadline. Meanwhile, Fed Chair Powell last week downplayed the long-term impact of the tariffs, easing investor concerns. Markets welcomed Premier Li Qiang's renewed pledge for more proactive macroeconomic policies. Meantime, the PBoC reiterated plans to cut banks' RRR and interest rates at an "appropriate time" later this...
Japanese stocks were down after the close on Monday, March 24, as losses in the Shipbuilding, Manufacturing and Services sectors led shares lower. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 was down 0.15%. The best performers on the Nikkei 225 were Sumitomo Realty & Development Co. (TYO:8830), which rose 10.52% or 575.00 points to trade at 6,042.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Tokyo Tatemono Co., Ltd. (TYO:8804) gained 4.94% or 123.50 points to close at 2,623.00 and Mitsubishi Estate Co Ltd (TYO:8802) gained 4.85% or 114.50 points to 2,474.00 in late trade. The worst performers on the session...
Hong Kong stocks were little changed in early trade on Monday, steady at around 23,686 after falling sharply in the previous two sessions. Property and financial stocks were lower, while gains in tech stocks and sluggish consumer staples provided little support. Traders approached President Trump's upcoming April 2 deadline for reciprocal tariffs with caution, hoping for a more targeted approach in this round of levies. On the local front, data showed that Hong Kong's current account surplus jumped to HK$96.3 billion in Q4 2024, up from HK$61.5 billion a year earlier, driven by higher...
The Nikkei 225 Index edged up 0.2% to above 37,700, while the Topix Index slipped 0.3% to 2,795 in mixed trading on Monday. Japanese stocks struggled for direction as US President Donald Trump's April 2 deadline for reciprocal tariffs weighed on sentiment. However, Trump hinted on Friday that there could be "flexibility" in his plan, and weekend reports suggested the tariffs may be narrower in scope, potentially sparing certain industries. Domestically, fresh data showed that Japan's private sector activity contracted for the first time in five months, with manufacturing extending its...