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%,...
The Hang Seng Index rose 29 points, or 0.1%, to close at 25,498 on Thursday (December 18), reversing early losses, led by gains primarily from the financial sector. Sentiment improved as mainland Chinese stocks extended gains, with traders shifting to defensive sectors amid concerns over global AI spending and regional tensions. Investors welcomed data showing China's youth unemployment rate fell to a five-month low of 16.9% in November, signaling a tentative stabilization in the labor market. Meanwhile, China's fiscal revenue grew 0.8% year-on-year in the first 11 months, matching the...
European markets opened today, Thursday, December 18, 2025, with a cautious attitude. Investors await the latest move from the European Central Bank (ECB), which is expected to hold interest rates. Inflation in the eurozone has begun to stabilize, so the ECB has chosen not to rush into policy changes to maintain economic stability. The latest inflation data shows that price pressures have not increased sharply. This signals that economic conditions are still under control, although growth is not yet fully robust. This situation has led market participants to choose to wait before making...
The Nikkei 225 closed down 1.03% to 49,001.5 on Thursday (December 18, 2025), marking its lowest close in about three weeks. The broader Topix index also weakened 0.37% to 3,356.89. The main pressure came from heavily weighted technology stocks, as the market reassessed the prospects for AI and data center businesses—whether massive spending in these sectors would truly yield quick returns. This negative sentiment was also carried over from Wall Street, which also recently weakened, leading investors to reduce risk. From a fundamental perspective, market players are now holding back due to...
Hong Kong stocks fell 53 points, or 0.2%, to 25,416 in Thursday morning trading, reversing the previous session's gains after Wall Street closed significantly lower overnight due to lingering concerns over AI valuations and caution ahead of November inflation data. Caution is also growing ahead of policy meetings by several central banks in Europe and Asia scheduled for today and Friday. Meanwhile, mainland Chinese stocks were sluggish after Wednesday's rally, with investors awaiting China's foreign direct investment figures for the first 11 months, expected to be released today. From...
Japanese stocks fell sharply in today's trading, with the Nikkei index falling 1.7% to 48,669.70. This decline followed Wall Street's overnight plunge, as global market sentiment was dominated by investor risk aversion. The greatest pressure came from artificial intelligence (AI) stocks. Investors began to withdraw after several major players in the cloud infrastructure sector withdrew from data center projects. This situation raised concerns about the future growth prospects of the AI sector. SoftBank Group was one of the worst-performing stocks, plummeting 6.7%, followed by Lasertec...