London (AFP) – Oil prices traded at five-month highs Friday, with benchmark crude contract Brent North Sea near $115 a barrel, as the Middle East conflict raged on. Stock markets mostly dropped in Europe following some poorly-received earnings from Gucci parent Kering and Swedish group Volvo Cars.
Asian equity indices closed out the week mixed as technology firms managed to claw back some of the week’s hefty losses. Global markets were contending “with concerns around surging oil prices and the sustainability of AI spending,” noted AJ Bell head of financial analysis Danni Hewson. “Oil is at five-month highs amid speculation there may be renewed US-Israeli strikes after next month’s US midterm elections.”
Escalating tensions in Ukraine and the prospect of increased energy demand as the northern hemisphere heads into the winter months are only adding to the upwards pressure on oil and gas prices,” Hewson added. Rising energy prices have influenced movements across stock markets in recent days along with developments in the AI sector. Facebook-parent Meta and chip equipment maker Lam Research saw their share prices dive this week despite above-forecast earnings for the pair.
“Strong results are no longer enough if the outlook fails to match an already demanding valuation,” noted Fawad Razaqzada, a markets analyst at traders FOREX.com. “Investors are becoming much less forgiving.” Non-AI companies have also seen their share prices slump this week. Kering shed 13 percent in Paris midday deals on Friday after the French luxury group published results that failed to reassure investors about a turnaround at its key Gucci brand.
Volvo Cars meanwhile plunged more than 25 percent after it said US tariffs and strong competition from local brands in China pushed it into a third-quarter loss. In response, the company announced a new five-billion-kronor savings plan it said would lead to about 2,000 job cuts in Sweden and 500 more globally.
Aside from energy markets, AI and earnings next week, focus will fall firmly on interest-rate meetings for the US Federal Reserve and European Central Bank, as well as an update on US economic growth data.
– Key figures at around 1045 GMT –
Brent North Sea crude: UP 1.3 percent at $114.65 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.5 percent at $100.98 per barrel
London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.6 percent at 10,666.25 points
Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 0.7 percent at 7,754.48
Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 0.9 percent at 25,141.34
Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.3 percent at 62,693.16 (close)
Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 0.7 percent at 23,093.37 (close)
New York – Dow: FLAT at 52,867.98 (close)
Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.9 percent at 3,690.48 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1200 from $1.1217 on Thursday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3381 from $1.3399
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 156.76 yen from 156.86 yen
Euro/pound: DOWN at 83.73 pence from 83.78 pence
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© 2024 AFP
