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 lost 315 points, or 0.6%, to close at 50,376 on Monday, reversing the prior session's gains as trading thinned ahead of year-end holidays. Sentiment turned cautious after China staged large-scale military drills around Taiwan under its "Justice Mission 2025" exercise. Investors also pared risk ahead of Tuesday's release of minutes from the U.S. Fed's latest meeting. Earlier this month, the Fed cut rates but signaled a more cautious easing path, projecting only one more cut next year. Major laggards included Advantest Corp. (-2.3%), Daikin Industries (-2.0%), Japan Tobacco...
Hong Kong stocks rose 213 points, or 0.8%, to 26,025 on Monday morning, extending their gains for a second session as market participants opened the final week of 2025. The Hang Seng Index also hovered near a three-week high, with gains across many sectors. Sentiment was also boosted by the Shanghai market, where the benchmark index recorded a ninth straight day of gains on Monday—its longest streak since April. On the policy front, Beijing signaled on Sunday that it would be more proactive fiscally next year, focusing on domestic demand, technological innovation, and social...
Global stocks held near record levels, while silver briefly hit a new peak before breaking its closing high amid quiet holiday trading. Asian stock indicators rose 0.2% in early trading, while US stock futures held steady after the S&P 500 closed near its all-time high on Friday. Silver briefly rallied 6% and broke through $80 per share for the first time, but then reversed its gains and fell more than 2%. "We are witnessing a generational bubble unfolding in silver," wrote IG Australia analyst Tony Sycamore on Sunday, highlighting the strong speculative drive and extreme price...
Japanese stocks weakened in quiet trading amid uncertainty about the economic outlook and the strength of corporate earnings performance going forward. The electronics sector led the declines, primarily due to pressure. At 00:32 GMT, the Nikkei Stock Average fell 0.2% to 50,630.94. Market movements were said to remain fragile as investors weighed the risks of an economic slowdown and potential pressure on corporate earnings. At the stock level, several names in the technology/electronics sector weighed. Kioxia Holdings fell 2.8%, while Canon Inc. fell 1.9%, reflecting weakening interest in...
The S&P 500 and Dow rose 0.1%, closing at record highs as strength in the technology and energy sectors offset caution related to strong growth data. The Nasdaq also rose 0.1%. Nvidia rose 1% after announcing a licensing deal with AI startup Groq, reviving demand for AI-related stocks and supporting the broader megacap complex. Energy stocks also found support as renewed U.S. action and rhetoric against Venezuelan exports helped support crude oil prices. At the same time, investors digested the delayed BEA release showing third-quarter GDP grew at a strong annualized pace of 4.3%,...