European equity markets extended their rally on the first trading day of 2026, with benchmark indices pushing to fresh record highs despite thin liquidity following the New Year holiday. Gains were led by defense stocks, underpinned by persistent geopolitical tensions and expectations of increased military spending across the region. The STOXX 50 climbed 0.7% to a new all-time high of 5,830 points, while the broader STOXX 600 rose 0.4% to a record 595 points. The strong start to the year follows a robust performance in 2025, when the STOXX 50 advanced about 18% and the STOXX 600 rose 17%,...
Hong Kong Stock MarketThe Hang Seng fell 87 points or 0.3% to end at 25,859 on Friday, ending a four-day winning streak as weakness in property and financial stocks weighed on the index. Sentiment weakened amid caution ahead of China's official November PMI data due over the weekend and private survey readings next week. Traders also grew wary as major mainland benchmarks neared multi-year highs on AI-driven optimism, raising concerns about increased volatility heading into year-end. Losses were limited by a modest rise in U.S. futures ahead of a shortened Wall Street session following...
Both the STOXX 50 and the STOXX 600 hovered around the flatline on the final trading day of a volatile November, as the recent rally in global equities showed signs of losing momentum and investors awaited fresh catalysts. On the data front, inflation in France unexpectedly held steady at 0.9%, while Spain's rate eased to 3%, reinforcing expectations that the ECB will maintain its current policy stance. LVMH (+0.5%), Shell (+0.7%), Siemens (+0.3%), Inditex (+0.2%), and Schneider Electric (+0.3%) traded higher, while Nestlé (-0.4%), Hermès (-0.2%), and EssilorLuxottica (-1.3%) moved...
Japanese stocks closed slightly lower on Friday, with the Nikkei 225 down 0.07% as pressure hit the Paper & Pulp, Transportation, and Communications sectors. Interestingly, amid the index's decline, some stocks still performed well. Pacific Metals surged 6.80% to 2,530.00, hitting a three-year high. Okuma Corp. rose 6.66% to 3,765.00, while Furukawa Electric gained 4.73% to 9,928.00. Mitsui Mining and Smelting led the decliners, dropping 2.14%, followed by Toho Co., which fell 2.03%, and Fujitsu, which fell 1.92%. Broadly speaking, the market was actually still positive: 2,542 stocks...
Hang Seng Menguji 26.000, Lanjut Nanjak atau Balik Turun? The Hong Kong stock market opened cautiously on Friday, November 28, 2025, with the Hang Seng Index trading slightly between 25,990 and 26,000, having closed at 25,945.93 on Thursday. Opening sentiment was still influenced by the slowdown in the global rally over the weekend, after world stock markets had rallied strongly in recent days and began to lose steam. In Asia, other stock indices also tended to move mixed, while the absence of major catalysts from Wall Street—which was closed for Thanksgiving—left the Hang Seng's direction...
Nikkei Struggles Above 50,000, a Sign of Starting Fatigue? | Nikkei Ngerem di Atas 50.000, Tanda Mulai Lelah? The Nikkei index is expected to open cautiously on Friday, trading within the 50,000 area after a sharp rally over the past week. Nikkei futures are expected to move only slightly around 50,100, in line with projections for a flat opening for Asian markets as the global rebound begins to lose steam. The previous day, the Nikkei had risen around 1.2% and closed around 50,167, driven by positive sentiment from hopes of a Fed rate cut in December, which has revived investor risk...