Category: Financial Markets

Asia Stocks Ease After Run of Gains; Dollar, Oil Recover

Asian stock markets took a breather on Friday from their recent surge as investors booked profits, while the dollar inched up after Thursday’s slide and optimism over possible renewed supply cuts by OPEC lifted oil prices. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan pulled back 0.1 percent, on track to end the week up 1.3 percent, its fourth straight weekly gain.

Asia Shares at 19-Month Peak

Asian stocks scaled 19-month peaks on Wednesday thanks to a record-setting night on Wall Street after Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen flagged a possible interest rate hike next month, keeping the dollar in pole position near three-week highs. Yellen said on Tuesday that the Fed will probably need to raise interest rates at an upcoming meeting, and that delaying rate increases could leave the Fed’s policymaking committee behind the curve.

These 3 Stocks Just Raised Their Dividends

So far, 2017 has been a fertile year for payout hikes — income investors have plenty of reason to be optimistic going forward. Yet there’s no telling whether the next 10 months or so will be similarly rich, so we should enjoy the soiree while it lasts.

Stock Futures Pause Ahead of Yellen Testimony

A rally that pushed stocks to new heights appears to hit pause in premarket trading Tuesday as investors look toward comments from the head of the central bank. A rally that pushed stocks to new heights appeared to hit pause in premarket trading Tuesday as investors looked toward comments from the head of the central bank.

Nikkei Falls After Toshiba Earnings Delay

Japanese stocks fell more than 1 percent on Tuesday, with investor sentiment soured after Toshiba Corp delayed its earnings release, including details of a multibillion dollar charge related to cost overruns at its U.S. nuclear arm. The mood was also hurt by the dollar’s weakening after President Donald Trump’s national security adviser Michael Flynn quit.

S&P 500 Tops $20 Trillion as Wall Street Trades on Trump

U.S. equity indexes hit record highs on Monday, with the benchmark S&P 500’s market value topping $20 trillion as investors bet tax cuts promised by President Donald Trump would boost the economy. Trump vowed last Thursday to make a major tax announcement over the next few weeks, adding fuel to a rally that had stalled amid worries about the potential impact of his protectionist trade stance and a lack of clarity about other policy reforms.

Equity Futures Hit Record Highs as ‘Trump Trade’ Rekindles

U.S. stock index futures hit record highs on Monday as the so-called “Trump trade”, which sent Wall Street to record highs last week, looked set to pick up speed after a brief lull. Wall Street’s three main stock indexes closed at record highs on Thursday and Friday as optimism about the economy rose after President Donald Trump vowed to make a major tax announcement in the next few weeks.

European Stocks Gain as Basic Resource Stocks Power Benchmarks

European stocks climbed higher in early Monday trading as rising commodity price lifted basic resources firms amid growing optimism over the pace of growth in major Asian economies. European stocks climbed higher in early Monday trading as rising commodity price lifted basic resources firms amid growing optimism over the pace of growth in major Asian economies.

European Stocks Called Higher After Solid Asia Session

European stocks are expected to open higher Monday, kicking off a week that will focus on key corporate earnings and a series of central bank releases. European stocks are expected to open higher Monday, kicking off a week that will focus on key corporate earnings and a series of central bank releases and speeches amid increasing questions over the direction of monetary policy in both the U.S. and Europe.

China, HK Shares Up on Commodities Rally

Chinese stocks opened the week on a firm footing on Monday and were track for the fourth straight day of gains, with sentiment boosted by strong commodities, while the Hong Kong market hit four-month highs thanks to capital inflows from the mainland. China’s blue-chip CSI300 index rose 0.7 percent, to 3,436.51 points at the end of the morning session, while the Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.6 percent, to 3,216.83 points.

Dollar Gains After Trump-Abe Meet, Asian Shares Firm

A picture illustration shows U.S. 100 dollar bank notes and Japanese 10,000 yen notes taken in Tokyo August 2, 2011. Japan primed financial markets on Tuesday for currency intervention after the yen tested record highs, signalling it may try to tame … the unit with a combination of yen-selling and monetary easing.

What Investors Might Have Missed in the Markets Last Week

Love him or hate him, believe his statements or prefer to disprove them, President Donald Trump sure seemed to push the markets higher as he pledged to move quickly on the “phenomenal” tax code changes. Stocks surged immediately following Trump’s proclamation and continued the trend higher through Friday, with the S&P 500 for $90 per share in cash, valuing Mead Johnson’s equity at $16.6 billion, with the total transaction value reaching $17.9 billion, including the latter’s net debt.

Forget eBay Inc.: These 2 Stocks Are Better Buys

It might seem like an odd premise to write an article about stocks that are better long-term investments than eBay However, stepping back further, the fact remains that eBay has essentially tracked the Nasdaq ‘s performance over the past decade, a period during which e-commerce as a category truly came into its own; see Amazon.com ‘s 2,000% return over the past 10 years as Exhibit A. Said more directly, while eBay has seen some nice momentum in its business of late, several companies offer investors more compelling opportunities to invest in the ongoing e-commerce revolution.

Here’s Why These Gold Stocks Popped in January

Climbing nearly 6% through January, the price of gold outpaced the meager gain — nearly 1% — of the S&P 500 . Unsurprisingly, many of the market’s largest gold stocks enjoyed double-digit gains, including Freeport-McMoRan Selling 1.1 million ounces of gold in fiscal 2016, Freeport-McMoRan has a strong presence in the gold market, but the company is also a major player in the copper market.

Wall Street Week Ahead: Energy Stocks Look for Catalyst out of Doldrums

Buoyant oil prices since Donald Trump’s election have provided no lasting halo effect for energy stocks as the sector’s profit rebound has lacked vigor, but that could change in the week ahead with a fresh crop of quarterly scorecards. Helped by OPEC output cuts, oil prices are up roughly 20 percent since Trump’s victory, and U.S. crude has held above $50 a barrel since mid-December.

Trump’s Tax Talk Drives Wall St to Record High

U.S. stocks hit record highs for the second day on Friday as investors remained upbeat about a tax reform plan that President Donald Trump vowed to unveil in the coming weeks. Trump’s promise of a “phenomenal” tax plan helped reignite a post-election rally, which had stalled in recent weeks on concerns over his protectionist stand and the lack of clarity on policy reforms.

Europe’s Cement Makers Rise Following Report on U.S.-Mexico Wall Costs

Europe’s biggest cement makers were the top performing stocks in the region Friday following reports that a border wall between Mexico and the United States could cost $21 billion. Europe’s biggest construction groups and cement makers were among the top performing stocks in the region Friday following a report that suggests a border wall between Mexico and the United States could cost as much as $21 billion.

Asian Stocks Rise on China Trade, Trump’s Tax Cut Talk

Asian shares rallied to an 18-month peak on Friday, as investors cheered upbeat Chinese trade data and strong gains on Wall Street after U.S. President Donald Trump promised to unveil a major tax announcement to lower the burden on businesses. China’s January exports rose 7.9 percent from a year earlier, while imports jumped 16.7 percent, beating expectations, preliminary data showed, getting the economy off to a strong start in 2017.

Why You Should (and Shouldn’t) Buy NVIDIA

At this point, it’s natural for investors to wonder if it’s too late to buy a few shares — this run could just bethe start of NVIDIA’s path to world domination, or it could be the very top of a bubble-like valuation. While the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle, there are certain types of investors who should, and shouldn’t, invest in NVIDIA no matter what the reality is.

Why Scorpio Tankers Inc. Stock Sank 16% in January

So what went wrong? In four short words: the “Baltic Dirty Tanker Index” . This index, which tracks average industry rates for chartering “dirty” tankers transporting crude oil , has declined 22% since the new year began, falling from 1,088 points to a recent low of 846 points.

Why DHT Holdings, Inc. Stock Advanced 13% in January

Since February began, DHT’s stock has roughly maintained its gain. DHT operates a fleet of 20 crude-oil tankers out of its headquarters in Bermuda.The prices it can charge for chartering these vessels are broadly defined by the trend line on the Baltic Dirty Tanker Index ,which tracks average industry rates for chartering “dirty” tankers transporting crude oil .And because revenue and profit tend to flow from those charter rates, the price of oil-shipping stocks can usually be expected to track the trend on the BDTI.