Swiss Market Ends Marginally Up

RTTNews | 34 days ago
Swiss Market Ends Marginally Up

(RTTNews) - The Switzerland market, which stayed positive till well past noon on Thursday, suffered a mild setback in the penultimate hour of the session, but recovered to end the day's session marginally higher.

Investors reacted positively to the European Central Bank's decision to lower interest rate by 25 basis points. The market also digested Swiss unemployment data.

The benchmark SMI, which dropped to 12,267.25 from a high of 12,365.19, settled at 12,317.62, gaining 19.12 points or 0.16%.

Holcim rallied 3.25%. Sandoz Group climbed 3.16% and Alcon gained 2.05%. Geberit ended 1.7% up, while VAT Group, Logitech International and Schindler Ps gained 1.35%, 1.25% and 1.1%, respectively. Novartis and Swisscom posted modest gains.

Richemont drifted down 2.1%. Swatch Group closed down 1.49% and Lindt & Spruengli lost 1.1%. Adecco, SGS, Kuehne + Nagel and Partners Group ended moderately lower.

On the economic front, Switzerland's unemployment rate held steady in May after falling slightly in the previous month, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, or SECO, said.

The unadjusted unemployment rate stood at 2.8% in May, the same as in April. That was in line with expectations.

In the corresponding month last year, the jobless rate was 2.3%. The youth unemployment rate, which is applied to the 15-24 age group, edged down to 2.4% from 2.5%.

Data also showed that the seasonally adjusted jobless rate rose to 2.9% from 2.8%.

read more
Fed Minutes Reveal Mixed Views About Outlook For Interest Rates

Fed Minutes Reveal Mixed Views About Outlook For Interest Rates

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday released the minutes of its June monetary policy meeting, which revealed most participants generally agree the central bank is well positioned to wait for more clarity on the outlook for inflation and the economy before adjusting interest rates.
RTTNews | 1h 6min ago
U.S. Wholesale Inventories Dip In Line With Estimates In May

U.S. Wholesale Inventories Dip In Line With Estimates In May

A report released by the Commerce Department on Wednesday showed a modest decrease by wholesale inventories in the U.S. in the month of May. The Commerce Department said wholesale inventories fell by 0.3 percent in May after inching up by 0.1 percent in April. The pullback by inventories matched economist expectations as well as the flash estimate.
RTTNews | 5h 12min ago
Bay Street May Open On Positive Note

Bay Street May Open On Positive Note

Slightly higher Canadian and U.S. futures point to a marginally positive start for Canadian shares on Wednesday. The focus will be on trade deal negotiations.
RTTNews | 6h 33min ago
Yen Falls As Traders Speculate BoJ Rate Hike Pause

Yen Falls As Traders Speculate BoJ Rate Hike Pause

The Japanese yen weakened against other major currencies in the late Asian session on Wednesday, as traders reduced their bets on an immediate interest rate hike by the Bank of Japan (BoJ) due to worries about the possible economic effects of US President Donald Trump's trade tariffs.
RTTNews | 7h 29min ago
Malaysia Central Bank Cuts Policy Rate For First Time Since 2020

Malaysia Central Bank Cuts Policy Rate For First Time Since 2020

Malaysia's central bank lowered its key interest rate for the first time in five years on Wednesday to underpin economic growth amid the ongoing trade tariff uncertainty. The Monetary Policy Committee of Bank Negara Malaysia decided to reduce the Overnight Policy Rate by 25 basis points to 2.75 percent. The ceiling and floor rates of the corridor of the OPR were correspondingly reduced.
RTTNews | 7h 29min ago
FTSE 100 Modestly Higher

FTSE 100 Modestly Higher

The UK market remains firmly placed in positive territory a little past noon on Wednesday, holding gains after a steady start, amid rising optimism about the European Union striking a deal with the U.S. in the coming weeks.
RTTNews | 7h 47min ago
CAC 40 Up 1.25% On Trade Deal Optimism

CAC 40 Up 1.25% On Trade Deal Optimism

French stocks are up in positive territory on Wednesday, extending gains to a third straight session, amid optimism about U.S. and the European Union striking a deal sometime soon, despite U.S. President Donald Trump's threat that steep tariffs will be imposed on copper imports, and pharmaceuticals.
RTTNews | 8h 12min ago
DAX Rises Sharply On US-EU Trade Deal Hopes

DAX Rises Sharply On US-EU Trade Deal Hopes

German stocks climbed up on Wednesday, lifting the benchmark DAX to a one-month high, as expectations of a US-European Union deal helped underpin sentiment.
RTTNews | 8h 25min ago