US stocks little changed as investors react to earnings

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index added 0.4 per cent to 24,595.51 points.

The sources said the CSRC was focusing on positions taken through both the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect trading link and via offshore-listed products that track mainland stocks, including index futures and exchange traded funds (ETFs). On top of that, Shanghai stocks still don’t look cheap enough to encourage investors to stomach short-term volatility, Capital Economics’ analysts argue. However, housing starts growth accelerated sharply and construction orders rebounded, offering some respite. Sydney’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.8 percent to 5,670.10.

Japan’s Nikkei was one of the few markets in the red with a loss of 0.4 percent. Typically, they have done that by buying shares.

The company saw its net profit more than triple in the April-to-June quarter, helped by strong sales of its PlayStation 4 games and camera sensors.

It fell 10 percent for the week and 14.3 percent for the month.

The Chinese stock market, by comparison, accounts for less than 3 per cent of the world market. “July was the worst month on China’s benchmark stock index in six years, gold had its largest monthly decline since 2013 but stocks have pulled back from Greece-induced losses in June”, he said.

“It is the last day of what has been a insane month in financial markets“. “If the Fed doesn’t raise rates in September, I think we’re looking at some time mid next year”. In recent weeks, prices dropped although the government put a number of measures in place to keep prices from falling too far. The medical device maker has signed a definitive agreement to buy Curative Medical, a privately-held Chinese provider of ventilation and breathing devices to treat sleep disorders. First-quarter growth was revised to 0.6 per cent growth from an earlier government estimate of a contraction.

“Such a practice is closely watched by regulators in the US as well”. South Korea’s Kospi finished up 0.2 percent at 2,023.63. In spite of this, the index still tumbled 8.5 percent on Monday, even after measures to curb selling, including a cut in interest rates and a ban on short selling and major shareholders from ditching their stakes in firms were introduced.

But Yuzo Sakai, manager of foreign exchange business promotion at Tokyo Forex & Ueda Harlow, said the dollar was pressured by caution about its further rise above 124 yen, near where it fell sharply in June on remarks by Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda.

– Manila was flat, edging up 3.80 points to 7,482.83. Currencies are down, on average, 2.5 per cent for the month against the US dollar, while the Australian dollar has fallen 5.6 per cent over that period and New Zealand’s dollar is down 3.2 per cent.

The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 Index lost 0.2% amidst earnings season, while only some 53% companies beat previous quarterly profits forecasts.

Precious and industrial metals futures ended mostly lower.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 fell one points, or less than 0.1 percent, to 2,108 as of 9:41 a.m. Eastern time on Friday.

U.S. wages and benefits grew at their slowest pace in 33 years in the spring, the Labor Department said, stark evidence that the improving job market is having little impact on paychecks for most Americans.