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%,...
US stocks weakened slightly in early December, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq each falling about 0.4% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling about 0.7%. All three benchmark indexes rebounded from deeper declines earlier in the session due to continued volatility. Caution dominated the market ahead of this week's key economic data releases, including the delayed September PCE report, all before next week's FOMC decision. Bitcoin fell more than 6% to trade below 86,000, extending last month's decline below 90,000 and weighing on broader risk sentiment, dragging down crypto-related...
The STOXX 50 closed little changed at 5,669, while the STOXX 600 fell 0.2% to 575 on the first trading day of December, as traders started the month cautiously after a volatile November that yielded only modest gains for both indices. Airbus shares plunged 5.7%, after falling more than 10% intraday, following reports of a new quality issue affecting dozens of A320 family aircraft. This development came shortly after Airbus announced that most of the other aircraft affected by the software glitch had received the necessary modifications. The defense sector also came under pressure amid hopes...
Wall Street kicked off December on a negative note, with the S&P 500 down 0.7%, the Nasdaq falling 1%, and the Dow Jones losing more than 250 points after a volatile November. Caution dominated markets ahead of several key economic releases this week, including the delayed September PCE report later in the week, all before next week's FOMC decision. Market pricing currently assigns an 87% probability to another 25 bps cut in the federal funds rate. The tech was the worst performing sector, followed by real estate, industrials and communication services while the energy sector managed...
The Hang Seng Index rose 0.7% at 26,033.26 in Hong Kong. The index advanced to the highest closing level since Nov. 17 after the previous session's decrease of 0.3%. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. contributed the most to the index gain, increasing 2.2%. Sunny Optical Technology Group Co. had the largest increase, rising 6.2%. Today, 71 of 88 shares rose, while 17 fell; all sectors were higher, led by commerce and industry stocks. Source : Bloomberg
European stocks followed Asian equities lower as a sharp drop for cryptocurrencies indicated some investor caution ahead of a slew of US economic data due this week. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index was down 0.2% by 9:22 a.m. in Paris, with the industrials and real estate sectors leading declines. European defense stocks fell after reports of progress in Ukraine-Russia talks, with Germany's Rheinmetall AG and France's Thales SA both declining. Among other individual movers, ASML Holding NV shares rose after the chip equipment maker was named top pick in the semiconductor...