Following sixteen consecutive months of contraction, the Institute for Supply Management released a report on Monday unexpectedly showing modest growth in U.S. manufacturing activity in the month of March. The ISM said its manufacturing PMI jumped to 50.3 in March from 47.8 in February, with a reading above 50 indicating growth in the sector. Economists...
Construction spending in the U.S. unexpectedly saw further downside in the month of February, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Monday. The report said construction spending dipped by 0.3 percent to an annual rate of $2.091 trillion in February after edging down by 0.2 percent to a revised rate of $2.097...
After opening marginally higher and edging up a bit, the Canadian market retreated Monday morning, weighed down by weakness in communications, healthcare, real estate and utilities sectors. The mood is somewhat cautious due to a lack of significant triggers. The benchmark S&P/TSX Composite Index is down 19.21 points or 0.08% at 22,147.82. The index, which...
The China stock market has moved higher in three straight sessions, advancing almost 85 points or 2.8 percent along the way. The Shanghai Composite Index now sits just above the 3,075-point plateau, although investors may lock in gains on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets offers little clarity with the outlook for interest...
The Hong Kong stock market has moved higher in two of three trading days since the end of the two-day slide in which it had stumbled almost 400 points or 2.5 percent. The Hang Seng Index now sits just above the 16,540-point plateau, although it may hand back some of those gains on Tuesday. The...
The Indonesia stock market has finished lower in three straight sessions, tumbling almost 220 points or 3 percent along the way. The Jakarta Composite Index now sits just above the 7,160-point plateau although it\'s due for support on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets offers little clarity with the outlook for interest rates...
Recouping some of the losses in the previous session, the Japanese stock market is notably higher on Tuesday, with the Nikkei 225 moving well above the 39,900 level, despite the mostly negative cues from Wall Street overnight, with gains across most sectors led by index heavyweights and technology stocks. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Index is...
The Thai stock market has moved higher in two straight sessions, collecting almost 10 points or 0.7 percent along the way. The Stock Exchange of Thailand now sits just shy of the 1,380-point plateau although it may run out of steam on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets offers little clarity with the...
Asian stock markets are mostly higher in thin trading on Friday when most of the markets are on Good Friday holiday, following the mixed cues from Wall Street overnight, as traders were reluctant to make significant moves ahead of the release of US inflation data later in the day that could impact the outlook for...
The euro weakened against other major currencies in the Asian session on Friday. The euro fell to an 8-day low of 0.8535 against the pound, a 4-day low of 0.9720 against the Swiss franc and nearly a 2-week low of 162.94 against the yen, from early highs of 0.8550, 0.9736 and 163.55, respectively. Against the...