With little more than six weeks to the end of 2019, the signs are that the worst days of the year for emerging markets are in the past. But don’t bet on any major rally either. Expected volatility is close to its lowest levels since 2014, stocks are failing to take their cue from bullish signals and a trio of central banks are poised to back away from stimulus-inducing rate cuts this week. That leaves markets largely hostage to the ups and downs of the trade talks, with the latest ...

Global stock markets mostly moved higher Friday with investors closing out the week on a calm note following positive signals about U.S.-China trade talks. U.S. stock futures ticked higher after White House economic adviser Lawrence Kudlow talked about progress in trade talks with China and optimism over the economy from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. The Nikkei 225 in Tokyo finished the day 0.7% higher, although it was marginally down for the week, while in Europe the Stoxx 600 was up 0.1% in early trade. U.S. stock futures tied to ...

Hopes of a trade deal between Washington and Beijing turned world stock markets and other risk assets higher on Friday, though an escalating wave of global protests from Hong Kong to Chile left some deep scars. Europe’s main bourses followed Asia and Wall Street higher after White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow said on Thursday that the U.S. and China were getting close to an agreement and were talking every day. “We’re getting close,” he told an event at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington. “The mood music is ...

Traders looks at financial information on computer screens on the IG Index the trading floor World stocks nudged down on Thursday as Chinese economic data slowed in October and Germany only narrowly avoided a recession in the third quarter, adding to worries about the global growth fallout from the U.S.-China trade war. MSCI’S All-Country World index , which tracks shares in 47 countries, was down 0.14% after start of trading in Europe. European shares fell after data showing the German economy grew just 0.1% in the third quarter, avoiding edging ...

Global stocks moved lower Wednesday after stumbling blocks emerged in trade talks between the U.S. and China. Major indexes across Asia fell, and ongoing political unrest in Hong Kong drove the Hang Seng lower by 1.8%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 was down 0.9%. In Europe, the Stoxx Europe 600 dropped 0.6%, while other regional indexes also slipped. The FTSE 100 fell 0.5%, while Germany’s DAX dropped 0.8%. U.S. futures slipped, with contracts tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.3%. A question hanging over trade talks is whether Washington will ...

European shares fell on Wednesday from four-year highs after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to “substantially” increase tariffs if China failed to agree a trade deal and also took a swipe at European Union trade policies. Concern is also growing that the intensifying unrest in Hong Kong could prompt a Chinese crackdown, pushing Hong Kong shares 2% lower and weighing on markets across Asia. MSCI’s index of world shares slipped 0.2%, following a 1% fall in Asian shares outside Japan. Japan’s Nikkei slipped almost 1%, moving further off last week’s ...

The imminent listing of oil giant Aramco will be a pivotal moment for Saudi Arabia’s young and untested Tadawul stock exchange. The Tadawul has said it has been preparing for years and is primed for the long-awaited share sale in coming weeks. But hosting possibly the biggest initial public offering in history represents a huge leap into the big league for a 12-year-old exchange that only admitted foreign investors four years ago. Mega-IPOs have a record of causing technical glitches on stock markets as they can lead to a surge ...

World shares inched higher on Tuesday as investors awaited a speech by President Donald Trump on U.S. trade policy and on news he was likely to delay a decision on European auto tariffs. Bond markets also seemed increasingly confident a recession will be avoided as EU officials said Trump was expected to announce this week that he was delaying the tariff decision on EU cars and parts for another six months. The news boosted expectations about Trump’s speech later in the day and for some resolution to his administration’s long-running ...

World shares inched higher on Tuesday as investors awaited a speech by President Donald Trump on U.S. trade policy and on news he was likely to delay a decision on European auto tariffs. Bond markets also seemed increasingly confident a recession will be avoided as EU officials said Trump was expected to announce this week that he was delaying the tariff decision on EU cars and parts for another six months. The news boosted expectations about Trump’s speech later in the day and for some resolution to his administration’s long-running ...

Sputtering progress toward a trade deal and signs of weakness in the Chinese economy are looming as the biggest threats to the wave of optimism spreading across emerging markets. Before Friday, developing-nation stocks had touched the highest level since May and currencies held near a three-month high. Then President Donald Trump rattled traders by saying the U.S. hadn’t agreed to a tariff rollback with China, dimming hopes for a preliminary trade deal next month. Beijing wants a deal “much more than I do,” Trump weighed in again on Saturday. A ...

Shares across the globe fell on Monday, buffeted by escalating violence in Hong Kong that pushed Asian stocks to their worst day since August and stoked demand for the safe-haven yen and gold. In the 24th straight week of pro-democracy unrest, Hong Kong police shot and wounded a protester as the Chinese-ruled territory saw rare working-hours violence. The MSCI world equity index , which tracks shares in 47 countries, slipped 0.2%, with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng falling 2.7% and leading losses across Asia. There, MSCI’s widest index of Asia-Pacific shares ...

Private companies seeking to launch on stock markets have abandoned a series of initial public offerings (IPO) this year after a string of high-profile startups — most notably WeWork — failed to draw the expected interest from investors. The cancellations in part are seen as a reflection of a weakening global economy, but have cast doubt on the solidity of some disruptive businesses, while Asian deals have also suffered from the political protests in Hong Kong. Here is a list of the most notable companies across the world to have ...

Investors are piling into beaten-up assets from commodities to emerging-market stocks, powering a broad rally that reflects a brightening outlook for the global economy. The British pound is up more than 6% from recent multiyear lows, while a rebound in China’s yuan has lifted a broad range of currencies. Emerging-market equities have also bounced back from a steep selloff earlier in the year, and a rise in oil is leading a rally in commodities that has buoyed everything from copper to coffee. Driving the gains are signs of better-than-expected outcomes ...

The toppling of the Berlin Wall made free market economics the norm across Europe – but which financial markets have done the best since then? Wall Street and the BRICs, of course. While the events of 1989 redefined Europe’s boundaries, they also ushered in almost two decades of powerful economic liberalisation and globalisation that took in China, India and Latin America – a wave that is only now cresting. They are not the only factor, by any means. Also at work is a 30-year drop in global borrowing costs as ...

Foreign holdings of Chinese stocks rose to a record high by the end of the third quarter, despite the ups and downs in a protracted trade dispute with the United States, as Beijing further opens its financial markets to help fund businesses. By end-Sept, Chinese equities held by foreigners were at a record of 1.77 trillion yuan ($253.14 billion) after having risen for four straight months, up nearly 40% in a year, the latest data from the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) shows. China is stepping up opening of its ...