International buyers snapped up Chinese stocks on Monday at the debut of an exchange link that allows Hong Kong and Shanghai investors to trade shares on each other's bourses, a major step towards opening China's tightly controlled capital markets.
Investors
S&P 500, Dow end at record highs, boosted by healthcare
The Dow and S&P 500 closed at record highs on Tuesday, lifted by further gains in healthcare shares and hopes for a stronger global economy.
Japanese stocks rise on recovery hopes, BOJ meet in focus
Japanese stocks rose on Wednesday as investors held out hope for more robust growth after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delayed a tax hike and called an early election to seek a fresh mandate for his aggressive policies to shore up the economy.
Asia stocks sag while Japan rebounds, euro dips
Asian stocks sagged on Tuesday amid profit taking in Hong Kong and Chinese markets, while Tokyo shares rebounded on expectations that Japan will opt for a snap election that may lead to fresh stimulus measures.
Apple market cap could hit $1 trillion mark: Omega's Einhorn
Gains in shares of Apple Inc could take the world's largest publicly traded company to a market capitalization of perhaps as high as $1 trillion, some of the country's biggest investors said on Monday.
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Japanese stocks skidded on Monday, helping the yen rebound from a fresh seven-year low against the dollar touched after news Japan unexpectedly fell into recession in the third quarter.
Shares of Takata Corp opened down 1 percent on Friday after the Japanese auto parts maker said it was the subject of a U.S. criminal investigation over defective air bags that have been linked to five deaths.
An improving U.S. economy has failed to galvanize the consumer discretionary sector so far this year, but a recent rally in restaurant stocks as the holidays approach could herald happier days ahead for other retailers.
Shares of Virgin America Inc, a low-cost airline partly owned by Richard Branson, soared more than 30 percent in their market debut, underscoring the buoyant mood in an industry that is emerging from a long spell of turbulence.
European stocks fell back on Friday and U.S. stocks looked set to open flat after a mixed bag of euro zone growth numbers that showed France and Germany growing marginally but others like Italy still firmly in recession.
Asian stocks dipped on Friday following fresh signs of slowing Chinese growth, with energy stocks depressed across the region as crude oil hovered near a four-year low in an oversupplied market.
U.S. stocks inched higher shortly after the open on Thursday, as the Dow and S&P touched new record intraday highs following earnings from Wal-Mart and data on the labor market.
U.S. equity prices edged off record highs on Wednesday led by weakness in the financial sector after six global banks were fined a total of $4.3 billion for currency rigging, while the oil market sagged on concerns about a supply glut.
Asian shares slipped slightly on Thursday as investors looked to a run of Chinese economic indicators due later in the day, while Wall Street shares ended a five-day winning streak as falling oil prices hurt energy stocks.
