Asian Shares Rise After Wall Street Rally

RTTNews | hace 553

(RTTNews) - Asian stocks rose broadly in thin trade on Friday, with Japanese markets closed for a public holiday.

While a rally on Wall Street to record closing highs boosted sentiment, potential gains were capped by heightened geopolitical tensions, hawkish comments from a Federal Reserve official and signs that China's real-estate downturn is getting worse.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war cabinet has agreed to send a negotiating team to Gaza for truce talks taking place in Paris amid growing tensions in the Middle East.

The dollar held steady after Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said Thursday he will need "at least another couple more months" of data before decided to cut interest rates.

Gold was set for a weekly gain while oil prices dipped slightly and were set to close the week a tad lower on demand concerns.

China's Shanghai Composite index rose 0.55 percent to 3,004.88 after data showed home prices declined at a slower pace for both new and existing units in January.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng index ended 0.1 percent lower at 16,725.86 after a choppy session.

Seoul stocks edged up slightly, with the Kospi average rising 0.13 percent to 2,667.70 following an overnight rally on Wall Street, driven by growth and technology stocks.

Australian markets ended modestly higher as financials gained ground ahead of key inflation data due next week. Tech stocks also surged, with Block climbing 16.5 percent to reach its highest level since last August.

The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.43 percent to 7,643.60 while the broader All Ordinaries index settled 0.43 percent higher at 7,899.20.

Across the Tasman, New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX-50 index inched up 0.25 percent to 11,719.82 despite retail sales chalking in an eighth consecutive month of declining retail volumes.

U.S. stocks notched record highs overnight after artificial intelligence darling Nvidia reported better than expected fourth quarter results and provided upbeat revenue guidance.

In economic releases, weekly jobless claims unexpectedly fell last week while sales of previously owned homes rose in January, separate reports showed.

The Dow and the S&P 500 gained 1.2 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively to reach new record closing highs while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite jumped 3 percent to end the day just shy of its November 2021 levels.

German Inflation Accelerates To 2.2% In August

Consumer price inflation in Germany climbed in August to its highest level in five months, while the core figure was steady amid an acceleration in food price growth, and weakened chances for further easing from the European Central Bank in the near term.

RTTNews | hace 1h 11min

Canadian Market Up In Positive Territory; BRP Rises Sharply On Strong Earnings

Despite weak GDP data, the Canadian market is up firmly in positive territory Friday afternoon with stocks from materials and healthcare sectors contributing significantly to the gains.

RTTNews | hace 3h 25min

Swiss Market Ends Modestly Lower

Save for a very brief while early on in the session, and for less than an hour a little past mid afternoon, the Switzerland market stayed in negative territory on Friday with investors largely staying cautious due to a lack of positive triggers.

RTTNews | hace 4h 1min

European Stocks Close Lower On Geopolitical Tensions

European stocks closed lower on Friday, weighed down by geopolitical concerns due to rising clashes in Gaza and Ukraine, and political uncertainty in France. Investors also digested the latest batch of economic data, including the closely watched U.S. personal consumption expenditure report.

RTTNews | hace 4h 30min

U.S. Consumer Sentiment Deteriorates Slightly More Than Initially Estimated In August

The University of Michigan released a report on Friday showing consumer sentiment in the U.S. deteriorated by slightly more than previously estimated in the month of August. The report said the consumer sentiment index for August was downwardly revised to 58.2 from the preliminary reading of 58.6.

RTTNews | hace 7h 15min

Chicago Business Barometer Slumps Much More Than Expected In August

MNI Indicators released a report on Friday showing a sharp pullback by its reading on Chicago-area business activity in the month of August. The report said the Chicago business barometer tumbled to 41.5 in August after jumping to 47.1 in July, with a reading below 50 indicating contraction. Economists had expected the business barometer to edge down to 46.0.

RTTNews | hace 7h 33min

U.S. Consumer Prices Increase In Line With Estimates In July

Consumer prices in the U.S. increased in line with economist estimates in the month of July, according to closely watched data released by the Commerce Department on Friday. The Commerce Department said its personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index rose by 0.2 percent in July after climbing 0.3 percent in June. The uptick matched expectations.

RTTNews | hace 8h 16min

German Unemployment Exceeds 3 Mln

Germany's unemployment exceeded the three million-mark for the first time in a decade in August as the prolonged period of subdued economic activity weighed on the labor market. The number of unemployed persons increased by 46,000 from the previous year to 3.025 million in August. However, unemployment fell by adjusted 9,000 compared to the previous month, while it was forecast to increase by 1

RTTNews | hace 8h 46min

EURUSD	1.1684	GBPUSD	1.34987	AUDUSD	0.6538
USDJPY	147.04	USDCAD	1.3741	USDCHF	0.80047