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 Hang Seng index slumped 206 points, or 0.8%, to close at 25,952 on Tuesday, losing early gains as sentiment soured amid a broad sectoral decline. The technology index fell 1.8% after US President Trump said Nvidia would be banned from selling its most advanced AI chips to China, although it would allow some sales to Beijing. Traders largely shrugged off reports that China was raising subsidies, cutting energy bills for major data centers. Consumer and property stocks also weakened, following declines in mainland China as US index futures plunged on uncertainty over the Fed's interest...
European stocks opened in negative territory on Tuesday (November 4), reversing the positive sentiment seen at the start of the new trading month. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index was trading more than 1.1% lower at 8:05 a.m. (3:05 a.m. ET). The UK's FTSE 500 index opened nearly 0.7% lower, while Germany's DAX fell 1.5%, France's CAC 40 fell 1.4%, and Italy's FTSE MIB fell 1.1%. European stocks opened the new trading week—and the month—on a positive note ahead of a busy week of central bank decisions and earnings reports; on Tuesday, we'll get third-quarter results from BP, Philips,...
Japanese stocks closed lower on Tuesday, with the Nikkei Index falling 1.7% to 51,497.20 and the Topix Index down 0.7% to 3,310.14. Profit-taking in previously outperforming stocks, particularly those related to the artificial intelligence (AI) sector, was the main factor in the decline. SoftBank Group and Advantest both fell more than 5% after posting sharp gains this year. "Stocks have been rising very quickly, so it's not surprising that we're seeing repositioning," said Hiroshi Namioka, chief strategist at T&D Asset Management. The strengthening yen against the dollar also put...
Hong Kong stocks rose 55 points, or 0.2%, to 26,210 in early trading on Tuesday (November 4), posting a second consecutive session of gains. Market sentiment was boosted by positive comments from Chief Executive John Lee, who revealed that Hong Kong had recorded 80 initial public offerings (IPOs) in the first ten months of 2025, underscoring the strength of the city's capital market. Furthermore, Chinese Vice President He Lifeng expressed hope for increased economic and financial cooperation between Hong Kong and mainland China, further strengthening Hong Kong's position as a global...
Japanese stocks declined on Tuesday (April 11th), following a sharp rise earlier. The Nikkei index fell 0.5%, reaching 52,136.68, with the retail and technology sectors leading the losses. Aeon Co. shares fell 4.6%, while Recruit Holdings fell 3.6%, indicating profit-taking after a period of significant gains. Despite the Japanese market's decline, investors are still paying close attention to policy developments from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Policy measures taken by the Japanese government could provide further clues about the direction of the country's economy. Investors are still...