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...
Japanese stocks rose in early trading after the yen weakened sharply following the Bank of Japan (BoJ) interest rate hike on Friday, in line with market expectations. The index's rise was largely driven by chip stocks. This sector immediately led the gains amid positive sentiment from the weakening yen. Several major stocks also surged: SoftBank Group rose 6.7%, Kioxia Holdings rose 5.7%, and Tokyo Electron Ltd. rose 5.1%. The yen's movement was clearly visible in the foreign exchange market. USD/JPY was at 157.56, up from 155.95 at the Tokyo stock market close on Friday. Investors also...
US stocks closed sharply higher on a triple-witching Friday, with the S&P 500 rising 0,9%, the Nasdaq 100 gaining 1.4%, and the Dow Jones adding more than 180 points, extending gains from the previous session as technology stocks outperformed. The AI-related trade showed signs of recovery, led by Oracle, whose shares jumped more than 7% after TikTok agreed to sell its US operations to a new joint venture involving Oracle and private-equity firm Silver Lake. Micron Technology advanced 7%, building on its 10% surge on Thursday. Also, Nvidia shares climbed more than 3% after Reuters...
European equities closed higher on Friday, with the STOXX 50 up 0.6% and the STOXX 600 rising 0.4% to a fresh record, boosted by expectations of further Fed rate cuts next year and fading bets that the ECB will raise borrowing costs in 2026. Broad-based buying lifted heavyweight stocks, with ASML up 1%, Novo Nordisk nearly 2%, and HSBC and AstraZeneca gaining more than 1%. Cyclical and defensive names also advanced, including Rolls-Royce at +2.7%, Prosus at +2.3%, Roche at +2.2%, Iberdrola and Shell both at +1.5%, and Safran at +1.3%. In contrast, sportswear stocks underperformed, with...
The Hang Seng Index rose 192 points, or 0.75%, to end at 25,690 on Friday, extending its gains for a third session as all major sectors advanced. Sentiment was boosted by continued gains in mainland China's stock market amid reports that ByteDance had reached an agreement with three major investors to form a joint venture to operate the TikTok app in the US, aiming to avoid a potential ban. Hopes for fresh stimulus from Beijing before the end of the year also supported the market, while traders awaited the upcoming People's Bank of China (PBOC) interest rate decision. Man Wah Holdings...
European stocks opened mixed on Friday (December 19th), as investors digested a number of interest rate decisions and awaited crucial budget talks in France. Regional investors were shaken by a day full of central bank decisions, with Thursday bringing monetary policy updates from the Bank of England, the European Central Bank, the Norges Bank, and the Riksbank. All but the Bank of England, which cut interest rates by 25 basis points, kept their key rates unchanged. The ECB raised its economic growth outlook for the eurozone, saying it now expects growth of up to 1.4% in 2025 and 1.2% in...