Market Update
China Investors Turned Cautious Ahead of Earnings and Politburo Meeting
Li Chen
29 Jul, 2025
Hong Kong
In cautious trading, stock market indexes in China and Hong Kong traded down from recent highs ahead of the start of the earnings season this week.
The Hang Seng index decreased 1%, and the mainland-focused CSI 300 index declined a fraction ahead of the HSBC and Hang Seng Bank earnings this week.
Market sentiment was cautious ahead of the Federal Reserve's rate decisions on Thursday and the start of the Politburo meeting chaired by President Xi Jinping.
Top leaders are likely to restate their commitment to reducing excess capacity in manufacturing solar panels, electric vehicles, lithium batteries, and other industrial goods industries.
In addition, investors are awaiting details from the ongoing U.S.-China trade talks in Stockholm, Sweden, amid expectations that the current August 12 deadline is likely to be pushed back by another 90 days.
China Indexes and Stocks
The Hang Seng Index declined 1% to 25,320.56, and the mainland-focused CSI 300 index decreased 0.04% to 4,133.80.
Tencent Holdings dropped 1.2% to HK $549.0, and the company's largest stockholder, Prosus NV, sold 1.13 million shares last week.
HSBC Holdings plc declined 0.5% to HK $100.60 ahead of the company's financial results on Wednesday.
Xinyi Solar Holdings Ltd declined 1% to HK $3.18, and the affiliate Xinyi Glass Holdings Ltd fell 0.3% to HK $8.32 ahead of their quarterly results on Friday.
China Investors Turned Cautious Ahead of Earnings and Politburo Meeting
Li Chen
29 Jul, 2025
Hong Kong
In cautious trading, stock market indexes in China and Hong Kong traded down from recent highs ahead of the start of the earnings season this week.
The Hang Seng index decreased 1%, and the mainland-focused CSI 300 index declined a fraction ahead of the HSBC and Hang Seng Bank earnings this week.
Market sentiment was cautious ahead of the Federal Reserve's rate decisions on Thursday and the start of the Politburo meeting chaired by President Xi Jinping.
Top leaders are likely to restate their commitment to reducing excess capacity in manufacturing solar panels, electric vehicles, lithium batteries, and other industrial goods industries.
In addition, investors are awaiting details from the ongoing U.S.-China trade talks in Stockholm, Sweden, amid expectations that the current August 12 deadline is likely to be pushed back by another 90 days.
China Indexes and Stocks
The Hang Seng Index declined 1% to 25,320.56, and the mainland-focused CSI 300 index decreased 0.04% to 4,133.80.
Tencent Holdings dropped 1.2% to HK $549.0, and the company's largest stockholder, Prosus NV, sold 1.13 million shares last week.
HSBC Holdings plc declined 0.5% to HK $100.60 ahead of the company's financial results on Wednesday.
Xinyi Solar Holdings Ltd declined 1% to HK $3.18, and the affiliate Xinyi Glass Holdings Ltd fell 0.3% to HK $8.32 ahead of their quarterly results on Friday.
U.S. Investors Prepare for a Busy Week of Earnings, Fed's Rate Decisions, and Labor Market Reports
Barry Adams
28 Jul, 2025
New York City
U.S. stocks traded sideways, and investors were lukewarm to the latest U.S.-EU trade pact.
This week investors are preparing to review quarterly earnings from more than 300 companies, as the earnings season picks up pace.
Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, and Boeing are on tap to release their quarterly results.
On the economic front, investors are awaiting the release of the second quarter GDP growth update, and economists are anticipating the U.S. economy to expand at an annual pace of 2.2% compared to a decrease of 0.5%.
The labor market updates will also remain in investor focus this week; despite macroeconomic uncertainty, the U.S. labor market remains resilient.
On Friday, the nonfarm payrolls report is expected to show that the U.S. economy added at least 100,000 net new jobs in July, down from 147,000 in June.
On Wednesday, the Jobs and Labor Turnover Survey, the so-called JOLTS report, is expected to show job openings to remain above 7 million, despite the resilient but cooling jobs market.
The Federal Reserve is anticipated to hold its short-term interest rate range unrevised between 4.25% and 4.50%, and investors will be looking for clues if a rate cut is likely at the following policy meeting in September.
U.S. Stock Movers
Tesla Inc. rose 1.4% to $320.80, and the company's chief executive confirmed a $16.5 billion chips contract with the South Korea-based Samsung to supply advanced semiconductors.
Defense stocks rallied after the U.S. president claimed, without offering details or a timetable, that the European Union "would be purchasing hundreds of billions of dollars of military equipment."
L3Harris gained 0.3% to $270.25, RTX Corp. added 1.1% to $158.13, and Lockheed Martin jumped 1.1% to $158.13.
U.S. Investors Prepare for a Busy Week of Earnings, Fed's Rate Decisions, and Labor Market Reports
Barry Adams
28 Jul, 2025
New York City
U.S. stocks traded sideways, and investors were lukewarm to the latest U.S.-EU trade pact.
This week investors are preparing to review quarterly earnings from more than 300 companies, as the earnings season picks up pace.
Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, and Boeing are on tap to release their quarterly results.
On the economic front, investors are awaiting the release of the second quarter GDP growth update, and economists are anticipating the U.S. economy to expand at an annual pace of 2.2% compared to a decrease of 0.5%.
The labor market updates will also remain in investor focus this week; despite macroeconomic uncertainty, the U.S. labor market remains resilient.
On Friday, the nonfarm payrolls report is expected to show that the U.S. economy added at least 100,000 net new jobs in July, down from 147,000 in June.
On Wednesday, the Jobs and Labor Turnover Survey, the so-called JOLTS report, is expected to show job openings to remain above 7 million, despite the resilient but cooling jobs market.
The Federal Reserve is anticipated to hold its short-term interest rate range unrevised between 4.25% and 4.50%, and investors will be looking for clues if a rate cut is likely at the following policy meeting in September.
U.S. Stock Movers
Tesla Inc. rose 1.4% to $320.80, and the company's chief executive confirmed a $16.5 billion chips contract with the South Korea-based Samsung to supply advanced semiconductors.
Defense stocks rallied after the U.S. president claimed, without offering details or a timetable, that the European Union "would be purchasing hundreds of billions of dollars of military equipment."
L3Harris gained 0.3% to $270.25, RTX Corp. added 1.1% to $158.13, and Lockheed Martin jumped 1.1% to $158.13.
Caution Returned In Tokyo Trading Ahead of BoJ Rate Decisions and Earnings
Akira Ito
28 Jul, 2025
Tokyo
Stock market indexes in Tokyo closed down for the second consecutive session amid caution ahead of the BoJ's rate decisions and corporate earnings.
The Nikkei 225 Stock Average fell 0.9%, and the broader Topix decreased 0.6%, as investors assessed the impact of the latest Japan-U.S. trade deal on the export-reliant industries.
In a busy week of earnings, investors are looking forward to results from Tokyo Electron, Advantest Corp., Keyence, Nintendo, ANA Holdings, Japan Airlines, Toyota Motor, Marubeni, and Mitsui & Company.
However, investors were less than enthusiastic about a deal between the U.S. and China, as negotiators meet in Sweden ahead of the August 12 deadline set by the U.S.
The U.S. president announced a "trade deal" with the European Union that will limit the additional tariffs on goods to 15%, higher than the current rate of about 2.5%.
The Japanese yen traded at 147.85 against the U.S. dollar amid worries about the near-term future of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba after the recent losses in the Upper House elections.
Japan Indexes and Stocks
The Nikkei 225 Stock Average decreased 0.9% to 41,075.83, and the Topix fell 0.6% to 2,933.74.
Tokyo Electron decreased 2.2% to ¥27,330.0, Advantest Corp. plunged 8% to ¥10,465.0, and Keyence Corp. increased 0.9% to ¥58,110.0.
Ahead of corporate results, Toyota Motor advanced 0.7% to ¥58,110.0, Marubeni Corp. decreased 0.8% to ¥3,064.0, Mitsui & Company dropped 1.4% to ¥3,095.0, Japan Airlines fell 0.9% to ¥2,926.50, and ANA Holdings added 0.2% to ¥2,945.0.
Caution Returned In Tokyo Trading Ahead of BoJ Rate Decisions and Earnings
Akira Ito
28 Jul, 2025
Tokyo
Stock market indexes in Tokyo closed down for the second consecutive session amid caution ahead of the BoJ's rate decisions and corporate earnings.
The Nikkei 225 Stock Average fell 0.9%, and the broader Topix decreased 0.6%, as investors assessed the impact of the latest Japan-U.S. trade deal on the export-reliant industries.
In a busy week of earnings, investors are looking forward to results from Tokyo Electron, Advantest Corp., Keyence, Nintendo, ANA Holdings, Japan Airlines, Toyota Motor, Marubeni, and Mitsui & Company.
However, investors were less than enthusiastic about a deal between the U.S. and China, as negotiators meet in Sweden ahead of the August 12 deadline set by the U.S.
The U.S. president announced a "trade deal" with the European Union that will limit the additional tariffs on goods to 15%, higher than the current rate of about 2.5%.
The Japanese yen traded at 147.85 against the U.S. dollar amid worries about the near-term future of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba after the recent losses in the Upper House elections.
Japan Indexes and Stocks
The Nikkei 225 Stock Average decreased 0.9% to 41,075.83, and the Topix fell 0.6% to 2,933.74.
Tokyo Electron decreased 2.2% to ¥27,330.0, Advantest Corp. plunged 8% to ¥10,465.0, and Keyence Corp. increased 0.9% to ¥58,110.0.
Ahead of corporate results, Toyota Motor advanced 0.7% to ¥58,110.0, Marubeni Corp. decreased 0.8% to ¥3,064.0, Mitsui & Company dropped 1.4% to ¥3,095.0, Japan Airlines fell 0.9% to ¥2,926.50, and ANA Holdings added 0.2% to ¥2,945.0.