World Markets
Asia-Pacific stocks set for mixed start; Australia’s April trade data ahead
SINGAPORE — Shares in Asia-Pacific looked set for a mixed Thursday start, with Australia’s April trade data expected later in the day. Futures pointed to a muted open for Japanese stocks. The Nikkei futures contract in Chicago was at 27,450 while its counterpart in Osaka was at 27,460, against the Nikkei 225’s last close at […]
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Dutch DSM and Swiss Firmenich join forces in cash and shares deal
Dutch specialty chemicals maker DSM on Tuesday said it would merge with Swiss peer Firmenich in a deal involving shares and cash, to become a leading supplier of food ingredients and beauty and well-being products. The companies said the merger, expected to be finalised in the first half of next year, could lead to an […]
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Asia-Pacific stocks set for lower start as investors await China’s factory activity data for May
SINGAPORE — Shares in Asia-Pacific looked set for a lower Tuesday start as investors await the release of official Chinese factory activity data for May. Futures pointed to a lower open for Japanese stocks. The Nikkei futures contract in Chicago was at 27,325 while its counterpart in Osaka was at 27,320. That compared against the […]
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Asia-Pacific stocks rise ahead of major economic data this week
SINGAPORE — Shares in Asia-Pacific rose in Monday morning trade as investors look ahead to major economic data releases later in the week. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 rose 1.21% in early trade as shares of robot maker Fanuc jumped more than 2%. The Topix index traded 1.01% higher. The Kospi in South Korea also […]
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Asia-Pacific stocks rise; Alibaba announces better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings
SINGAPORE — Shares in Asia-Pacific rose in Friday morning trade, with investors monitoring shares of Alibaba in Hong Kong after the Chinese tech giant posted better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings on Thursday. The Nikkei 225 in Japan gained 1.41% as shares of conglomerate SoftBank Group surged 5%. The Topix index advanced 1.08%. South Korea’s Kospi also jumped […]
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Shares in Asia-Pacific nudge higher; New Zealand central bank hikes rates again
SINGAPORE — Shares in Asia-Pacific nudged higher in Wednesday trade, with New Zealand’s central bank announcing yet another rate hike. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index advanced 0.64% by the afternoon, while the Shanghai Composite in mainland China edged about 0.6% higher and the Shenzhen Component gained 0.145%. The Nikkei 225 in Japan climbed 0.11% while […]
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Asia-Pacific markets subdued as investors weigh possible U.S. tariff cut on China goods
SINGAPORE — Markets in Asia-Pacific were subdued in early trade on Tuesday, as investors weighed a possible thawing of U.S.-China trade relations as U.S. President Joe Biden floated the idea of tariff cuts on Chinese goods. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 was down 0.4% in early trading, while the Topix was lower by 0.2%. South […]
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Asia-Pacific stocks set to open mixed as global concerns persist
SINGAPORE — Shares in the Asia-Pacific region were poised to open mixed on Monday as global concerns continue to plague markets. In Japan markets, the Nikkei futures contract in Chicago was at 26,920, while its counterpart in Osaka was at 26,750. The Nikkei 225 closed at 26,739.03 on Friday. Australia’s SPI futures were at 7,129, […]
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Asia-Pacific markets trade higher; China to announce its benchmark lending rate
SINGAPORE — Shares in the Asia-Pacific markets gained on Friday as a volatile trading week comes to a close and investors watch for the release of China’s benchmark lending rate. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.41% in early trade, while the Topix advanced 0.23%. Japan’s core consumer prices, which include energy costs but not fresh food, […]
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EasyJet ‘in right place’ to meet demand for summer flights
Low-cost carrier easyJet said it was “in the right place” to meet pent-up demand for summer flights, with bookings above pre-pandemic levels in the last 10 weeks and sold ticket yields for the fourth quarter 15% higher than in 2019. Chief Executive Johan Lundgren said easyJet was “absolutely focused” on strengthening its operational resilience for […]
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