Swiss Market Ends On Firm Note Again

RTTNews | 1h 37min ago
Swiss Market Ends On Firm Note Again

(RTTNews) - The Switzerland market's benchmark index SMI closed on a firm note on Thursday after staying positive throughout the session, as oil prices and bond yields dropped following a rate hike by the Federal Reserve and hopes that the central bank will strive to rein in inflation.

The SMI ended the day with a gain of 78.65 points or 0.57% at 13,947.31 after moving between 13,876.65 and 13,982.98.

Helvetia Baloise Holding moved up 5.3%. Sandoz Group climbed 3.3%, Galderma Group gained nearly 2.5% and Logitech International ended 2.4% up.

ABB, Novartis, VAT Group, Swiss Life Holding, Lonza Group, Sonova, Julius Baer and Sika gained 1%-1.7%. Nestle, Givaudan, Lindt & Spruengli, Zurich Insurance and Schindler Ps also ended notably higher.

Alcon drifted down 3%. Amrize ended nearly 1.5% down. Straumann Holding, Kuehne + Nagel and Roche ended modestly lower.

Data released by the Federal Customs Administration showed Switzerland's trade surplus narrowed to CHF 5.6 billion in August from a record CHF 8.1 billion in the previous month. Imports fell 11.6% month-on-month to a one-year low of CHF 17.4 billion, while exports dropped 17.2% from a month earlier to a four-month low of CHF 23.1 billion.

read more
Canadian Market Up Firmly, Set To End On Strong Note

Canadian Market Up Firmly, Set To End On Strong Note

The Canadian market remained firmly up in positive territory Thursday afternoon, thanks largely to hectic buying in the materials sector. A drop in U.S. Treasury yields and weak oil prices following the Federal Reserve's interest rate hike and hopes that the central bank will strive to rein in inflation lifted investor sentiment.
RTTNews | 1h 3min ago
U.S. Pending Home Sales Rebound From Six-Month Low In August

U.S. Pending Home Sales Rebound From Six-Month Low In August

A report released by the National Association of Realtors on Thursday showed a modest rebound in pending home sales in the month of August. NAR said pending home sales index rose by 0.3 percent to 71.2 in August after tumbling by 2.6 percent to a revised 71.0 in July. Economists had expected pending home sales to climb by 0.5 percent.
RTTNews | 5h 5min ago
Philly Fed Index Pulls Back Off Five-Year High In September

Philly Fed Index Pulls Back Off Five-Year High In September

The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia released a report on Thursday showing a smaller-than-expected pullback by its reading on regional manufacturing activity in the month of September. The Philly Fed said its diffusion index for current general activity fell to 37.8 in September after climbing to 47.4 in August, although a positive reading still indicates growth.
RTTNews | 5h 17min ago
U.S. Housing Starts Unexpectedly Tumble 2.6% In August

U.S. Housing Starts Unexpectedly Tumble 2.6% In August

New residential construction in the U.S. unexpectedly saw further downside in the month of August, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Thursday. The Commerce Department said housing starts tumbled by 2.6 percent to an annual rate of 1.309 million in August after plunging by 9.0 percent to a revised rate of 1.439 million in July.
RTTNews | 5h 34min ago
U.S. Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Dip To Lowest Level Since Mid-July

U.S. Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Dip To Lowest Level Since Mid-July

A report released by the Labor Department on Thursday showed an unexpected decline in first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits in the week ended September 12th. The Labor Department said initial jobless claims fell to 196,000, a decrease of 10,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 206,000. Economists had expected jobless claims to inch up to 208,000.
RTTNews | 5h 37min ago
Bank Of England Holds Rate Steady At 3.75%

Bank Of England Holds Rate Steady At 3.75%

The Bank of England left its key interest rate unchanged on Thursday amid limited evidence of second-round effects but further increase in energy prices raises the prospect of a hike in November. The Monetary Policy Committee, led by Governor Andrew Bailey, voted 6-3 to maintain the bank rate at 3.75 percent, the lowest rate since June 2023. The move was in line with economists' expectations.
RTTNews | 6h 59min ago