Nikkei Tokyo's key Nikkei index suffered its largest drop in more than three years Friday, following reports that Israel carried out strikes on Iran and after US tech stocks fell. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index ended down 2.66 percent, or 1,011.35 points, to 37,068.35, marking its largest fall in points since February 2021. Hang Seng Hong Kong shares sank Friday as reports said explosions had been heard in Iran and Syria, sparking worries of a region-wide war in the Middle East after last weekend's attack on Israel by Tehran. The Hang Seng Index fell 0.99 percent, or 161.73 points, to...
European stock markets opened lower on Friday as investors take stock of a week of central bank rate hikes and the latest news from the banking sector. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index was down 0.5% shortly after the open, with all sectors posting declines. As on Thursday, losses were led by banks. The sector was down 2% in early trade despite reassurances from policymakers that system is stable after recent volatility. Deutsche Bank dropped 5.3%, extending a 3.2% fall on Thursday after its credit default swaps, a form of insurance for bondholders, pushed higher. Financial services...
Tokyo shares ended lower Friday as global investors weighed fresh interest rate hikes by central banks and signs of a possible pause in US monetary tightening. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index fell 0.13 percent, or 34.36 points, to 27,385.25, while the broader Topix index slid 0.10 percent, or 2.00 points, to 1,955.32. Source: AFP
Hong Kong shares opened with losses Friday morning following three days of healthy gains as traders weighed the latest Federal Reserve interest rate hike and worries over the banking sector. The Hang Seng Index fell 0.65 percent, or 129.99 points, to 19,919.65. The Shanghai Composite Index dipped 0.12 percent, or 3.91 points, to 3,282.74, while the Shenzhen Composite Index on China's second exchange edged up 0.06 percent, or 1.31 points, to 2,112.75. Source: AFP
Asia-Pacific markets largely fell on Friday, as investors weigh remarks from U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who said federal emergency actions to back up failed regional banks could be used again if necessary. This conveyed a different message compared to Yellen's comments a day earlier, when she told senators that the Treasury was not considering any plans to insure all U.S. bank deposits without congressional approval. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 was down 0.38%, and the Topix saw a larger loss of 0.46% as the country saw its core inflation come in at 3.1% for February, marking the...
Tokyo shares opened lower Friday as global investors weighed fresh interest rate hikes by central banks and signs of a possible pause in US monetary tightening. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index fell 0.31 percent, or 84.69 points, to 27,334.92 at the open, while the broader Topix index slid 0.39 percent, or 7.64 points, to 1,949.68. Source: AFP