Higher Open Anticipated For Hong Kong Stock Market

RTTNews | 847日前
Higher Open Anticipated For Hong Kong Stock Market

(RTTNews) - Ahead of the long holiday weekend for the Lunar New Year, the Hong Kong stock market had alternated between positive and negative finishes through its last four trading days following the four-day winning streak in which it had soared more than 410 points or 1.9 percent. The Hang Seng Index now sits just beneath the 22,050-point plateau and it's predicted to open higher on Thursday as it catches up on missed positive sentiment from the holiday.

The global forecast for the Asian markets suggests little movement amid a lack of catalysts with some markets still on holiday. The European and U.S. markets were mixed and little changed and the Asian bourses figure to follow that lead.

The Hang Seng finished sharply higher on Friday with gains across the board, especially among the properties and technology stocks.

For the day, the index surged 393.65 points or 1.82 percent to finish at 22,044.65 after trading between 21,754.35 and 22,051.77.

Among the actives, Alibaba Group spiked 3.65 percent, while Alibaba Health Info surged 3.95 percent, ANTA Sports jumped 2.32 percent, China Life Insurance collected 1.90 percent, China Mengniu Dairy increased 1.08 percent, China Resources Land rallied 2.85 percent, CITIC advanced 2.04 percent, CNOOC skyrocketed 5.37 percent, Country Garden soared 3.69 percent, CSPC Pharmaceutical climbed 2.07 percent, Galaxy Entertainment increased 1.01 percent, Hang Lung Properties perked 0.13 percent, Henderson Land rose 0.51 percent, Hong Kong & China Gas gained 0.92 percent, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China collected 0.96 percent, JD.com spiked 3.02 percent, Lenovo strengthened 2.14 percent, Li Ning rallied 2.55 percent, Meituan surged 4.93 percent, New World Development soared 3.28 percent, Techtronic Industries tumbled 2.48 percent, Xiaomi Corporation jumped 2/42 percent and WuXi Biologics improved 1.35 percent.

The lead from Wall Street is murky as the major averages opened sharply lower on Wednesday but improved as the day progressed, eventually finishing mixed and little changed.

The Dow rose 9.88 points or 0.03 percent to finish at 33,743.84, while the NASDAQ dipped 20.91 points or 0.18 percent to close at 11,313.36 and the S&P 500 eased 0.73 points or 0.02 percent to end at 4,016.22.

The early sell-off on Wall Street reflected a negative reaction to disappointing earnings news from some big-name companies like software giant Microsoft (MSFT) and aerospace giant Boeing (BA).

With gold for February delivery climbing $7.20 to $1,942.60 an ounce, the NYSE Arca Gold Bugs Index jumped by 1.9 percent to a seven-month closing high.

Banking, airline and steel stocks also showed strong moves to the upside, contributing to the recovery by the broader markets.

Crude oil futures rose slightly higher Wednesday, with traders reacting to reports that a diesel refinery in Louisiana was shut after a fire on Saturday. The disruption is expected to last at least a month. West Texas Intermediate Crude oil futures for March settled at $80.15 a barrel, up just 2 cents from the previous close.

Closer to home, Hong Kong will see December figures for imports, exports and trade balance later today. In November, imports were down 20.3 percent on year and exports slumped n annual 24.1 percent for a trade deficit of HKD27.1 billion.

read more
Antipodean Currencies Fall, Yen Gains Amid Risk-off Sentiment

Antipodean Currencies Fall, Yen Gains Amid Risk-off Sentiment

The Antipodean currencies such as the Australia and the New Zealand dollars weakened against their major currencies in the Asian session on Thursday on increased risk-off sentiment, following the broadly negative cues from Wall Street overnight, amid rising treasury yields on concerns about the fiscal impact of a new U.S. tax bill on the country's deficit. The lack of clear progress on new trade deals is also weighing on the markets.
RTTNews | 2時27分前
European Economic News Preview: Eurozone Flash PMI Data Due

European Economic News Preview: Eurozone Flash PMI Data Due

Flash purchasing managers' survey results from the major euro area economies and business sentiment from Germany and France are due on Thursday, headlining a hectic day for the European economic news. At 2.00 am ET, the Office for National Statistics publishes UK public sector finance data for April. The budget deficit is forecast to rise to GBP 18 billion from GBP 16.4 billion in March.
RTTNews | 3時30分前
Yen Rises Against Majors

Yen Rises Against Majors

The Japanese yen strengthened against other major currencies in the Asian session on Thursday.
RTTNews | 3時32分前
NZ Dollar Slides Against Majors

NZ Dollar Slides Against Majors

The New Zealand dollar strengthened against other major currencies in the Asian session on Thursday.
RTTNews | 3時47分前
Sensex, Nifty Tumble On US Fiscal Concerns

Sensex, Nifty Tumble On US Fiscal Concerns

Indian shares were sharply lower on Thursday after Wall Street saw one of its most brutal selling sessions overnight in over a month on concerns about deteriorating U.S. fiscal outlook.
RTTNews | 4時13分前
Australian Market Slightly Trims Early Losses In Mid-market

Australian Market Slightly Trims Early Losses In Mid-market

The Australian market is slightly trimming its early losses in mid-market moves on Thursday, reversing the gains in the previous two sessions, following the broadly negative cues from Wall Street overnight. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 is falling below the 8,350 level, with weakness across most sectors led by and technology and energy stocks. Gold miners are the only bright spot.
RTTNews | 5時2分前