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...
European stocks opened lower on Thursday, as investors reacted to another flurry of corporate earnings. The pan-European Stoxx 600 was 0.3% lower 20 minutes into the session, with most sectors and major bourses in negative territory. France's CAC 40 led losses among major regional indexes, with a decline of 0.7%. It's a busy day for earnings with third-quarter reports due from a slew of regional companies. AstraZeneca CEO: ‘We decided to be cautious' AstraZeneca held its guidance steady on Thursday morning, after reporting better-than-expected third-quarter revenues and profit. Total...
The Nikkei 225 index closed up 1.34% to 50,883.68 on Thursday (November 6th), helped by solid US data: the ISM services index hit an eight-month high and the ADP added 42,000 jobs. Sentiment improved after valuation concerns eased, although the market now sees the chance of a Fed rate cut in December down to around 60% from 70% at the start of the week. Domestically, Japan's Services PMI remained in expansion at 53.1, while the composite PMI was at 51.5, and cash wages rose 1.9%, driven by a surge in bonuses. Corporate news: Nissan targets record profits from its headquarters sale-leaseback...
Asian markets opened higher, following Wall Street's rebound. The Nikkei and Kospi jumped around 1% at the open, while US stock futures fluctuated after the Nasdaq 100 rose 0.7% and the S&P 500 gained 0.4%. In the bond market, the 10-year US Treasury yield held steady at around 4.15%. Oil stabilized after two days of declines, and shares of several US retailers rose as a US Supreme Court appearance that appeared skeptical of broad tariffs raised hopes that tariffs could be lifted. The return of buyers came after a brief decline that fueled concerns about overvaluation. Private data...
The Nikkei index rose 1.5% to 50,979.20 in early trading, driven by a weaker yen and a rebound in US technology stocks overnight. Positive sentiment quickly spread to semiconductor-related stocks, providing a strong boost at the market open. Kioxia Holdings shares jumped 6.0%, while SoftBank Group rose 2.5%, leading the tech sector's advance. The weaker yen also boosted exporters' prospects; USD/JPY stood at 154.03, up from 153.64 at Wednesday's close, making the earnings potential of export-based companies more attractive. Investors are now watching for performance releases and signals...
European stocks closed slightly higher on Wednesday, tracking the rebound in North American equities as speculation on future AI returns continued to dictate risk sentiment. The Eurozone's STOXX 50 rose 0.2% to 5,670 and the pan-European STOXX 600 rose 0.3% to 572. Industrial giants and auto producers led the gains in the session to rebound from their losses yesterday, with Schneider Electric and Wolters Kluwer advancing between 2% and 1.5%. In the meantime, BMW surged close to 7% after posting improved margins despite dealing with tariff uncertainties in the third quarter, lifting shares...