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...
The Nikkei 225 index closed down around 1.3% at around 50,100 on Monday (December 15th), dragged down by negative sentiment from Wall Street, which just recorded its worst daily decline in three weeks, particularly in technology and AI stocks. Investors were also still digesting weak Chinese data, including declining investment and sluggish consumption, which has resurfaced concerns about global demand and pressured shares of Japanese exporters. Domestically, the Japanese stock market was also pressured by expectations of a Bank of Japan (BoJ) interest rate hike at its December 18-19...
The Hong Kong Stock Exchange opened lower on Monday, with the Hang Seng briefly dropping to 25,698 before recovering slightly to trade around 25,771 (down 0.79%). Pressure was also seen in the China Enterprise Index, which fell to 8,988 (-1%) and the Technology Index to 5,553 (-1.49%). Transaction value on the main exchange was recorded at around HK$51.9 billion, indicating a relatively active market despite cautious sentiment. This decline was primarily weighed down by major tech stocks: Tencent (-2%), Alibaba (-2.4%), Xiaomi (-1.9%), JD.com (-1.5%), and Kuaishou (-3.1%). Elsewhere,...
The Japanese stock market opened lower after sentiment in technology stocks, particularly semiconductors, worsened. The trigger came from Broadcom's disappointing sales outlook, coupled with reports that Oracle was delaying the completion of several data centers—aggravating market concerns about the magnitude of AI investments and the timing of their return. As a result, the Nikkei 225 fell 1.2% to 50,246.58, while the Topix index was flat at 3,423.70 in Tokyo morning. Amid the tech pressure, investors are turning to safer sectors such as pharmaceuticals and food. Financial stocks are also...
Asian markets opened lower in the last full trading week of 2025, fueled by concerns about the prospects for tech company profits and growing AI spending. The MSCI regional stock index fell around 0.4%, while South Korea, which has been riding the "AI euphoria" for some time, fell more than 2%. In the US, index futures fluctuated slightly after Wall Street closed lower on Friday, led by weakness in tech stocks. Bitcoin also slumped, dropping to around US$88,000. Global risk-on sentiment is waning as investors begin to question whether tech stocks are still worth their high prices and...
US stocks closed sharply lower on Friday as a Broadcom-led rout among the largest tech weights sparked a rotation into cyclicals and defensive names. The S&P 500 fell 1% and the Dow gave back 0.4% after touching record highs, while the Nasdaq dropped 1.8%, with Broadcom plunging 11.4% after warning of margin pressure. Other heavyweight, AI-exposed and semiconductor names also posted steep losses, including Nvidia (-3.3%), Oracle (-4.5%), Palantir (-2.1%), AMD (-4.8%), and Micron (-6.7%) setting the pace for a sharp selloff in the sector. The pullback reflects margin concerns and growing...