Hong Kong’s finance chief has anticipated improving market sentiments after downward trends in the retail, catering and property sectors show signs of stabilising, and the prospect of an interest-rate cut cycle emerging. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Sunday that authorities had been paying attention to the slow recovery of the retail and catering…
By at least one measure, the US stock market is more concentrated in its biggest names than it’s ever been. The top 10 stocks in the S&P 500 now make up about 40% of the benchmark index, an all-time high, according to Morningstar data. Morningstar High concentration in any portfolio can be risky because, while…
After a weak few months of job growth, investors are banking on rate cuts from the Federal Reserve at their September meeting, and history shows cuts could be like rocket fuel for stocks in the months that follow. LPL Financial recently conducted an analysis of how stocks have performed from the first rate cut in…
President Donald Trump has made it clear what he wants: lower interest rates, and ASAP. That’s the thrust behind his yearslong feud with Jerome Powell, the Fed Chair who’s stood pat on interest rates, even amid pointed criticisms and threats from the president that his position is in jeopardy. Trump — who has, among other…
Investors entered 2025 wildly optimistic after two back-to-back years of 20% stock market gains, only to watch the S&P 500 plunge to the edge of a bear market in April and then rally back to record highs last week. After an eventful first half of the year, Wall Street is buckling up for more volatility…
US President Donald Trump has again rattled global investment markets, this time with his threats to interfere with the independence of America’s central bank. The president has ramped up his war with the US Federal Reserve, calling chair Jerome Powell a “major loser” and demanding interest rates be cut immediately, in a re-run of his…
Bond yields spiked after the January jobs report. While hiring in January was weaker than expected, other data indicates a strong labor market. Markets increased bets that the Fed will keep rates steady Bond yields shot up on Friday as markets took in the January jobs report. While the nonfarm payroll report showed employers added…
The stock and bond markets pulled a sharp 180 this week. After prolonged sell-offs, both rallied on a renewed outlook for Fed rate cuts. A trifecta of events suggests the Fed can be more aggressive than previously thought. Stocks and bonds staged a major turnaround this week thanks to a perfect storm of factors that…
Crude oil prices began trade with a gain today as traders turned their attention to U.S. monetary policy and China’s latest move to accelerate growth through stimulus measures. At the time of writing Brent crude was trading at $72.57 per barrel, with West Texas Intermediate changing hands for $68.98 per barrel. The climb followed an…
US stocks ended Friday mixed, with the S&P 500 rising to an all-time-high. Investor optimism rose after jobs data fueled optimism about the economy and future rate cuts. Traders see higher odds of another rate cut in December, the CME FedWatch Tool shows. US stocks ended mixed on Friday, though the S&P 500 rose to…