Stock market today: Dow closes above 38,000 for first time as record run continues

The S&P 500 and Dow closed at record highs Monday, with the latter ending above 38,000 for the first time as the tech melt-up continued ahead of busy week of corporate earnings and key economic data. By 16:00 ET (21:00 GMT), the Dow Jones Industrial Average, up 138 points, or 0.36% closed at…

China keeps loan prime rate at record lows as economic recovery falters

The People’s Bank of China kept its benchmark loan prime rate at record lows on Monday as widely expected, indicating that the central bank has limited headroom to further loosen monetary conditions and buoy an economic recovery. The PBOC left its one-year LPR at 3.45%, while the five-year LPR, which is used to…

Asian stocks surge as TSMC fuels tech gains; weekly losses still on tap

Most Asian stocks rose on Friday as a positive, AI-fuelled outlook from TSMC spurred a rebound in the technology sector, although weakness in China and uncertainty over interest rates put most bourses on course for a weekly loss. Regional markets also took some positive cues from Wall Street, which rebounded on Thursday after…

Oil prices edge higher amid mixed US cues, Red Sea strikes continue

Oil prices rose slightly in Asian trade on Thursday as severe cold weather appeared to have spurred some disruptions in U.S. production, while military action in the Middle East raged on. But gains in crude were limited by industry data showing an unexpected build in U.S. inventories. While the cold weather caused some…

China’s Dec new home prices fall at fastest pace since Feb 2015

China’s December new home prices fell at the fastest pace since February 2015, marking the sixth straight month of declines, official data showed on Wednesday, with the sector still struggling to get back on its feet due to weak confidence. New home prices fell 0.4% month-on-month after dipping 0.3% in November, according to…

Dollar advances as traders weigh rate cut expectations, eyes on data

The dollar was firm on Tuesday as investors assessed the chances of early and steep interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve, ahead of a data-packed week that could influence major central banks’ thinking on monetary policy. The yen weakened slightly to 145.89 per dollar after data showed Japan’s wholesale inflation was flat…

Asian stocks mixed; China lags on rate-cut disappointment, Nikkei rallies

Most Asian stocks were a mixed bag on Monday, with Chinese shares under pressure after the People’s Bank unexpectedly kept lending rates on hold, while outperformance in Japanese markets continued. Sentiment towards regional markets remained wary in anticipation of more key economic cues this week, including Chinese gross domestic product data and and…

China CPI picks up slightly in Dec, but disinflation remains in play

Chinese consumer inflation increased slightly in December as the year-end holidays boosted spending, although a sustained decline in producer inflation showed that a disinflationary trend was still decidedly in play. Consumer price index (CPI) inflation grew 0.1% month-on-month in December, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Friday. The reading was…

Stocks climb as megacaps lead; inflation data, earnings on deck

U.S. stocks closed higher on Wednesday as megacaps rallied, but gains were limited ahead of inflation reports and major bank earnings later in the week. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) and Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) were the biggest boosts to the S&P 500 index, as the benchmark 10-year Treasury note yield held near 4%and a…

Japan’s Nikkei 225 surges to 34-year high as BOJ pivot bets fade

Japan’s Nikkei 225 stock index rose sharply on Wednesday, reaching levels seen before the burst of a speculative bubble in the 1990s as investors bet on a delay in the Bank of Japan’s plans to end its ultra-loose policies. The Nikkei 225 index jumped 1.3% and crossed the 34,000 level for the first…