China Shares May Extend Winning Streak

(RTTNews) - The China stock market has finished higher in three straight sessions, gathering more than 70 points or 2.2 percent along the way. The Shanghai Composite Index now rests just above the 3,350-point plateau and it's expected to open to the upside again on Friday.

The global forecast for the Asian markets is upbeat on easing trade concerns. The European and U.S. markets were mostly higher and the Asian bourses figure to follow that lead.

The SCI finished slightly higher again on Thursday following gains from the insurance companies, weakness from the properties and resource stocks and mixed performances from the financials.

For the day, the index added 9.33 points or 0.28 percent to finish at 3,352.00 after trading between 3,327.90 and 3,359.73. The Shenzhen Composite Index climbed 20.30 points or 1.03 percent to end at 1,988.10.

Among the actives, Bank of China slipped 0.36 percent, while Agricultural Bank of China was down 0.37 percent, China Merchants Bank jumped 1.86 percent, Bank of Communications eased 0.27 percent, China Life Insurance advanced 0.85 percent, Jiangxi Copper skidded 0.55 percent, Yankuang Energy dipped 0.32 percent, PetroChina slumped 0.62 percent, China Petroleum and Chemical (Sinopec) lost 0.35 percent, Huaneng Power perked 0.14 percent, China Shenhua Energy shed 0.59 percent, Gemdale dropped 0.92 percent, Poly Developments sank 0.71 percent, China Vanke fell 0.29 percent and Aluminum Corp of China (Chalco) and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China were unchanged.

The lead from Wall Street is positive as the major averages opened higher on Thursday and remained firmly in the green throughout the trading day.

The Dow jumped 254.48 points or 0.62 percent to finish at 41,368.45, while the NASDAQ rallied 189.98 points or 1.07 percent to close at 17,928.14 and the S&P 500 gained 32.66 points or 0.58 percent to end at 5,663.94.

The strength on Wall Street came after President Donald Trump unveiled the framework of a trade agreement with the U.K.

Trump claimed the deal includes billions of dollars of increased market access for American exports, especially in agriculture, and will see the U.K. reduce or eliminate numerous non-tariff barriers.

In economic news, the Labor Department said first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits saw a modest decline last week. Also, the Labor Department noted a pullback by U.S. labor productivity in the first quarter of 2025 along with a sharp increase by unit labor costs.

Crude oil futures rallied on Thursday following news of the trade agreement between the United States and Great Britain. West Texas Intermediate crude for June delivery surged $1.84 or 3.2 percent to $59.91 a barrel.

Closer to home, China will release April figures for imports, exports and trade balance later this morning. Imports are expected to sink 6.0 percent on year after falling 4.3 percent in March. Exports are called higher by an annual 2.5 percent, moderating from 12.4 percent in the previous month. The trade surplus is pegged at $94.30 billion, easing from $102.64 billion a month earlier.