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...
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...
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...
Asian stocks opened higher, following Friday's rise in US stocks, which fueled hopes for a year-end rally. Many investors are starting to re-enter the market after a market correction. The MSCI Asia-Pacific stock index rose 0.5%, with the technology sector leading the gains. The index had previously recorded a 1.9% weekly decline on Friday, its first decline in four weeks. On Monday morning, US stock futures also rose in early Asian trading. Market optimism strengthened after dip buying at the end of last week helped the market recover from pressure triggered by doubts about the AI hype...
Hong Kong stocks rallied in Monday morning trading. The Hang Seng rose 71 points, or 0.3%, to 25,762, its highest level in more than a week and its fourth consecutive session of gains. This strengthening followed positive sentiment on Wall Street. Technology stocks led the way as optimism around AI-related stocks rebounded. In China, sentiment was also supported by the People's Bank of China's Central Bank's decision to maintain its benchmark lending rate at its lowest level for the seventh consecutive meeting. This move is seen as maintaining policy support while the economy remains on...