NEW YORK, United States (AFP) – Apple became the first US company to hit $3 trillion in market value, briefly reaching the landmark on Monday in the latest demonstration of the tech industry’s pandemic surge. The iPhone maker scaled the record level near 1845 GMT, reaching $182.88 a share before slipping back slightly. The tech giant also was the first US company to hit $2 trillion in August 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic that stoked […]
Tag: stocks
Asian markets fluctuate as traders weigh recovery against Delta
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Asian markets were mixed Wednesday as investors tried to assess whether the global recovery will be resilient enough to withstand the fast-spreading Delta Covid variant, with optimism being tested by the stuttering rollout of vaccines and a spike in infections in some countries. China’s drive to tighten its grip on the world’s number two economy with a swathe of new regulations for private enterprises is also weighing on sentiment, while […]
Asia welcomes Biden presidency with healthy gains
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Asian markets saw Joe Biden’s first day as US president with broad gains Thursday as investors look forward with optimism about his economic and Covid-19 recovery plans. Soon after being sworn in, Biden signed more than a dozen executive orders unwinding some of his predecessor’s policies, including rejoining the World Health Organization that observers say will help in the fight against the devastating disease. He also signed back up […]
Asian markets extend losses as virus surges in US, Europe
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — The fresh surge in coronavirus cases across the United States and Europe pushed Asian markets further down Wednesday, while investors have essentially given up on the chances of a new stimulus out of Washington. With US lawmakers unlikely to agree any new rescue package before Tuesday’s election, analysts said the new wave of virus infections and lingering uncertainty over the vote would mean equities face a wobbly few days. European […]
Asian markets lifted by stimulus optimism, vaccine hopes
HONG KONG, China (AFP) Asian markets rose Wednesday on signs US lawmakers are edging towards agreeing a new stimulus for the struggling economy, while hopes for a vaccine helped temper worries about surging virus infections around the world. After months of stuttering talks, and with a deadline approaching, Democrats and the White House said they were closing the gap on their proposals, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying legislation was being drawn up. The […]
US futures sink with Asia, Europe stocks after Trump tests positive for Covid-19
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — US futures sank with most Asian and European equities Friday after US President Donald Trump announced he and his wife had tested positive for coronavirus, throwing fresh uncertainty into the presidential election. The news compounded the downbeat mood on trading floors, where investors were already feeling pessimistic over US lawmakers’ failure to pass a new stimulus bill. “Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our […]
Asia markets slip but Tokyo reopens with gains after blackout
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Japanese stocks edged up Friday as they reopened after being shut down all the previous day by a technical fault, though markets across Asia were mixed in holiday-thinned trade with investors keeping an eye on stimulus talks in Washington. After September’s sell-off, Wall Street got the new quarter off to a positive start as technology firms appeared to rediscover their mojo, helped by a dip in US jobless claims […]
Most Asia stocks up on Fed rates news, Tokyo hit by Abe report
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Expectations US interest rates will stay ultra low for as long as needed helped lift Asian equities on Friday, though Tokyo tumbled on reports Japan’s prime minister was set to resign for health reasons. In a much-anticipated speech, Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell said it would be in no rush to reel in inflation, even if it overshoots the central bank’s two percent target, instead opting for an average […]
Asian markets hit by new lockdown, fresh China-US tensions
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Fears over a spike in infections around the world, the reimposition of containment measures and China-US tensions pushed Asian equities lower Tuesday, while oil prices were also hit by speculation top producers will begin tapering their output cuts. And news that Singapore’s economy, considered a regional barometer, contracted a mind-boggling 41 percent in the second quarter provided a stark reality-check for traders. After hitting lows in March, markets have been […]
Stocks surge on hopes for easing virus crisis
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Global equity markets strongly rebounded Monday as some of the world’s worst-hit countries reported falling coronavirus death rates, while oil prices sank after a meeting of top producers was delayed. “Global equities are soaring higher as early signs suggest curve flattening is happening in Europe and that US could be a couple weeks behind them,” said Edward Moya, an analyst at OANDA. Key eurozone markets were five percent or more […]
Stocks, oil prices slide as virus sweeps globe
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Stock markets and oil prices slid again Wednesday, as major companies began to count the financial cost of the spreading coronavirus. Heavy selling followed another rout Tuesday on Wall Street where all three main indices lost around three percent after officials said COVID-19 would likely take hold in the United States. With cases being reported in more countries — and lockdowns in nations including Austria, Italy and Spain — […]
Markets slide on fears of virus spread
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — More cases of the new coronavirus outside China along with warnings by major companies that their earnings could be hurt caused most stock markets to pull back on Friday. “Coronavirus was back at the top of the agenda on Friday, with a rising number of new cases in China and South Korea putting the fear in investors,” remarked Spreadex analyst Connor Campbell. More than 2,200 people have died […]





