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[hfe_template id='11223'] [ad_1] The UK's blue-chip FTSE 100 hit an all-time high on Friday, supported by a weaker pound after much softer than expected retail sales data boosted expectations of an interest rate cut next month. The FTSE 100 rose 1.4% to hit record highs and logged its fourth straight weekly gain. The midcap index rose 0.3% and registered its best weekly performance since October 2023. British retail sales fell unexpectedly in December, according to data that raised the risk of an economic contraction in the fourth quarter, adding to the challenges facing finance minister Rachel Reeves. Gilt yields moved lower across the curve, with the yield on 10-year notes easing to 4.661%. Sterling slid 0.6%, lifting shares of companies that earn most of their revenues overseas. Oil giant Shell rose 1.2%, while consumer goods company Unilever added 1.6%. Traders see an 82% chance of a 25-basis-point rate cut by the Bank of England (BoE) in February, and are pri...

[hfe_template id='11223'] [ad_1] Asian stocks were mostly lower Wednesday even as investors wagered that the Federal Reserve will come ahead with a cut to interest rates, while Australia's benchmark hit a new record. U.S. futures were mixed and oil prices were little changed. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index gave up early gains to shed 0.4% to 41,095.23. Reports said the Finance Ministry might have intervened in the currency market last week, buying nearly 6 trillion yen ($37 billion) to support the yen. The U.S. dollar rose to 158.42 Japanese yen from 158.34 yen on Wednesday. The yen weakened to 161.85 to the dollar last Wednesday and picked up to 157.89 last Friday. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 advanced 1% to 8,076.80, hitting an all-time high. South Korea's Kospi shed 0.2% to 2,859.64. Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.3% to 17,777.56, while the Shanghai Composite index lost 0.2% to 2,971.38. Elsewhere, Taiwan's Taiex declined 0.1%, with Taiwan Semico...

[hfe_template id='11223'] [ad_1] The Nikkei share average plunged 2% on Friday, as tech stocks tracked a selloff in Wall Street peers and the threat of currency intervention spurred profit-taking into Japan's long weekend. The Nikkei was down 2% as of 0155 GMT, just over 30 minutes ahead of the midday recess. Chip-making equipment giant Tokyo Electron was the biggest points drag on the index, sliding 5.65%. Smaller peer Disco was the biggest decliner, down 7.25%. That followed a 3.47% slide for the Philadelphia SE Semiconductor Index overnight. Japan's broader, less tech-heavy Topix declined 0.93% on Friday. Despite the selloff, the Nikkei remains up about 1.15% this week, after surging to a record high of 42,426.77 on Thursday. "A natural retreat following that strong three-day rally is the biggest factor behind today's move, I think," Nomura Securities equities strategist Kazuo Kamitani said. The stronger yen due to an overnight surge that many ...

[hfe_template id='11223'] [ad_1] Japan's Nikkei share average surged to another record high during morning trade on Thursday, as a rally in U.S. stocks overnight boosted investor sentiment. The Nikkei was up 0.83% to 42,179.84 by the midday break, after jumping over 1% to an all-time intraday high of 42,426.77 points. It was the first time the benchmark index has crossed the 42,000-point mark. The broader Topix was up 0.66% at 2,928.30. Strong performances in all three of Wall Street's main stock indexes on Wednesday kicked off the rally. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 finished at record high closes as U.S. chip maker Nvidia and other heavyweights gained ahead of inflation data and quarterly earnings reports. Japan's semiconductor-related shares marched higher with their U.S. peers, which got a boost from strong quarterly revenue results from contract manufacturer Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Gains were widespread, with 178 of the Nikkei's 225 con...