Category: News

Stocks traded mixed on Wednesday amid uncertainty over the timing of a fresh U.S. stimulus program. The dollar extended losses, while gold soared above $1,850 an ounce. Shares climbed in China and Hong Kong, while those in Japan edged lower. Australian shares underperformed as the country recorded its worst day of virus cases. Futures on...

Australia’s government will pump a further A$20 billion ($14 billion) into supporting the jobs market as a surge in coronavirus infections threatens to prolong the nation’s first recession in almost three decades. The government’s signature wage subsidy program, which is currently supporting about 3.5 million workers, will be extended by six months until the end...

Global stocks began the week in mixed fashion as investors braced for a ramp up in earnings reports and as the coronavirus continued to spread. The dollar pushed higher with Treasuries. Shares slipped in Australia and South Korea, and were flat in Japan and Hong Kong on below-average volumes. U.S. futures retreated and European contracts...

Global airline passenger demand won’t recover to pre-coronavirus pandemic levels until the end of 2023, and only then if effective vaccines and medicines are available, according to Moody’s Investors Service. The recovery for airlines and airports will be largely aligned, followed by aircraft lessors as carriers return fleets to service, Moody’s analysts including Jonathan Root wrote...

Australia posted its largest monthly jobs gain on record in June as the economy reopened from its Covid-19 lockdown, while a surge in people seeking work triggered a jump in the unemployment rate. Employers added 210,800 roles, more than double estimates, after May’s job losses were revised higher to 264,100, data from the statistics bureau showed Thursday....

Singapore’s economic situation remains dire amid the coronavirus pandemic, impacted by what could be lasting shifts in global demand and to supply chains, according to the city-state’s central bank. “Even if subsequent waves of infection are more limited” globally, it’s not clear whether confidence in resuming normal economic activity will be restored, Ravi Menon, managing...

U.S. small-business optimism jumped in June by the most since December 2016 as states reopened and owners expected the current recession to be short-lived, the National Federation of Independent Business said Tuesday. The group’s index of sentiment increased 6.2 points in June to 100.6, the second straight gain after hitting a seven-year low two months earlier. Even...

In pandemic recovery news Monday, California and Florida saw hospitalizations spike, while talks toward a Senate stimulus bill remained in a standstill. Markets nevertheless managed to spend the first six hours of the session in the green. Traders again pointed to morsels of positive data lurking within the troves of facts released each day by...

Asian stocks climbed on Monday together with U.S. and European equity futures ahead of the start of an earnings season that will provide more clues on how companies are coping with the pandemic. The dollar slipped. Japanese shares outperformed, rising more than 2%. Gains were more modest in Hong Kong, South Korea and Australia, while...

Even with fewer Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week, the labor-market outlook remains bleak. While initial jobless claims fell by the most in a month, according to Labor Department data Thursday, they’re still double the highest level during the last recession. And further declines are in question after states including Texas and Florida delayed...