European stocks ended mixed on the last trading day of the year. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index closed a shortened trading session 0.1% lower on Wednesday, with most sector indexes in negative territory. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 ended the day down 0.2%, bringing the index to an annual gain of 21.5% – its strongest yearly gain since 2009. Meanwhile, France's CAC 40 ended New Year's Eve down 0.2%, while Germany's DAX rose 0.6%. Italy's FTSE MIB gained 1.1%, bringing annual gains to 31.5% and its best year since 1998. Markets were open for a half-day of trading on Wednesday, and will be closed...
European stocks are expected to open lower on Tuesday (December 16), reversing gains seen earlier in the week. Shortly after the opening bell, the pan-European Stoxx 600 index fell 0.2%, with most sectors and major bourses in negative territory. Developments in Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations remain in focus, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said over the weekend that Kyiv is willing to give up its NATO membership ambitions to secure a deal to end the war. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that after "long and very good talks" with European...
The Nikkei 225 index closed down 1.2% to 49,544.21 on Tuesday, dragged down by a defensive market mood ahead of tonight's US economic data release. Market participants tended to reduce risk, making selling easier to emerge despite the lack of major "bad news" from Japan. The wait-and-see sentiment grew stronger as the (slightly delayed) US jobs data was seen as potentially altering the direction of Fed interest rate expectations, while this week also featured a busy central bank calendar—including the Bank of Japan, which is widely expected to raise interest rates. This combination made...
Hong Kong shares dropped 371 points, or 1.4%, to 25,258 Tuesday morning's session, extending steep losses from the previous day as all sectors retreated. Risk appetite was burdened by declines in mainland markets after weak November data showed fragile industrial output and retail turnover amid soft external demand and shaky domestic conditions. Local equities neared their lowest in a week, following a negative lead from Wall Street, where AI and tech weakness persisted. Losses were partly offset by domestic data showing Hong Kong's manufacturing output rose for a fourth straight quarter in...
Asia-Pacific stock markets mostly opened lower on Tuesday, following Wall Street's overnight decline. Pressure stemmed from investors exiting artificial intelligence (AI) stocks in the United States. Oracle shares plunged more than 5%, Broadcom fell more than 2%, while Microsoft also posted losses. In the US, the S&P 500 index fell 0.16%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell slightly, and the tech-dominated Nasdaq Composite Index fell 0.59%. In Asia, market movements were mixed. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index opened up 0.14%. However, preliminary purchasing managers' index (PMI)...
Japan's Nikkei stock index opened 1.1% lower at 49,624.20 in early trading, following Wall Street's sharp decline overnight. Market participants remained cautious due to the busy data schedule and economic agenda throughout the week. According to IG Chief Market Analyst Chris Beauchamp, investor risk appetite remains low, leading to market volatility. Pressure also came from artificial intelligence-related stocks, as the Nasdaq Composite Index in the United States weakened. Japanese technology stocks were also affected, with Yaskawa Electric plunging 5.5%, Fujikura down 5.1%, and Japan...