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TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Tokyo stocks closed up more than two percent on Monday, after European and US markets roared last week on strong US data and dovish comments from the US Federal Reserve. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index added 2.44 percent, or 477.01 points, to end at 20,038.97 while the broader Topix index jumped 2.81 percent, or 41.37 points, to 1,512.53. In recent weeks, investors have aggressively sold down Tokyo shares on general worries […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Hiring by private US companies surged unexpectedly in December, rising to its highest level in nearly two years as employers beefed up staffing levels in the holiday period, a survey showed Thursday. The result shattered economists’ forecasts, showing that employers continued to add workers despite fears of a slowing economy, a stock market slump and a trade war with China. The private sector added 271,000 net new positions for the […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Most Asian markets rose Thursday after the previous day’s sharp losses but technology firms fell after Apple slashed its revenue forecasts blaming slowing China sales. The yen pared early sharp gains from a flash crash, which saw the dollar briefly plunge to its lowest level since March after the Apple announcement, while the Australian dollar hit a 10-year low against the greenback. Investors trod cautiously as bargain-buyers capitalized on Wednesday’s […]
by Rosa SULLEIRO Agence France-Presse SAO PAULO, Brazil (AFP) — Brazil’s stock market closed at a record high on Wednesday, one day after new President Jair Bolsonaro took office and in anticipation of economic reforms his government is expected to implement. The Ibovespa index in Sao Paulo’s stock market finished 3.56 percent up at 91,012 points. Markets were closed on Tuesday for the January 1 holiday. Hopes of a turnaround for Latin America’s biggest economy, […]
by Jean-Philippe LACOUR Agence France Presse FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany (AFP) — The euro turns 20 on Tuesday, marking two tumultuous decades that saw the single currency survive a make-or-break crisis and become a fixture in financial markets and Europeans’ wallets. But it is destined to remain a fragile giant without closer eurozone integration, observers say. Born on January 1, 1999, the euro initially existed only as a virtual currency used in accounting and financial […]
by Heather SCOTT Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US central bank sent a strong signal on Friday that it would be willing to reconsider expected interest rate hikes amid new data showing President Donald Trump’s multi-front trade wars are dragging on the economy and shaking up investors. The message, from the senior Federal Reserve official with the closest links to US financial markets, sent the Dow Jones Industrial Average surging 300 […]
by Frederick ATTEWILL Agence France-Presse HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Fresh political turbulence in Washington and renewed fears over US-China relations pushed Asian markets lower Friday, as a global slump sparked by unease over Fed policy showed no signs of easing. The resignation of US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis — seen as a moderating force on an often impulsive president — and the looming threat of a federal government shutdown alarmed investors as concern grows […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he wants to see his country’s economy in the world’s top five. “The main thing is that we need to get into a new league economically,” Putin told his annual press conference, adding: “We could very well take the fifth place in terms of size of economy. And I think we’ll do that.” Russia is currently ranked 12th in the world pecking order by […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Tokyo led a rout of Asian shares Thursday, mirroring big losses on Wall Street after the Fed defied unprecedented pressure from Donald Trump and raised interest rates, sparking fears the move could choke economic growth. The Nikkei plunged to a 15-month low as investors took fright over the pace of monetary tightening, with a slump triggered by the Dow’s fall to its lowest level of 2018 gathering pace. The US […]
by Heather SCOTT Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Federal Reserve raised the benchmark interest rate on Wednesday, a move sure to anger President Donald Trump, but it also sent a clear signal it expects to slow its rate increases next year. The Fed’s fourth rate increase of the year, which sent Wall Street tumbling in mid-afternoon, moved the central bank squarely into the crosshairs of the president, who said a […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korean boyband BTS are worth more than $3.6 billion to the country’s economy every year — equivalent to the contribution of 26 mid-sized companies — a research institute said Tuesday. The floppy-haired songsters were also the reason that one in every 13 foreign tourists visited South Korea in 2017, the Hyundai Research Institute said. Known for their boyish good looks and meticulously choreographed dance moves, BTS — short for […]
by Laurent THOMET Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — China celebrates Tuesday the 40th anniversary of its transformative “reform and opening up” policy, which turned the world’s most populous country into an economic juggernaut that now faces slowing growth and a stern US challenge. The brainchild of late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, the programme was ratified at a Communist Party conclave on December 18, 1978, breaking with the chaotic policies of his predecessor, Chairman […]
