New York (AFP) – Global stock markets rose on Monday, as traders largely shrugged off US President Donald Trump’s latest tariffs announcement on steel and aluminum. Trump is set to slap 25-percent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, part of a broad and gradually unfolding series of White House actions to remake trade. Stocks tumbled last Monday following a weekend Trump tariff announcement. But this time, major US indices spent almost the entire session in positive territory following gains in most European and Asian markets.
“It’s a healthier response to a weekend announcement about tariffs,” said Art Hogan of B. Riley Wealth, adding that the metals tariffs are similar to those Trump enacted in his first term as president. The tech-rich Nasdaq led major US indices, finishing up one percent. Stock markets being up this time around “could be a sign of tariff fatigue,” said Kathleen Brooks, research director at trading group XTB. Canada is the largest source of steel and aluminum imports to the United States, according to US trade data. Brazil, Mexico and South Korea are also major steel providers to the country.
The US dollar rose against the Canadian dollar, Mexican peso, and South Korean won on Monday. It also rose against the euro, pound, and yen. The European Union said it had not received any official notification of extra tariffs from the United States, while Britain said it had not seen “any detailed proposals” but was “ready for all situations.” In equities trading, both London and Frankfurt set fresh records. Hong Kong and Shanghai stocks rose on Monday, even as hopes of a delay to Trump’s tariffs against China were dashed.
Chinese tech firms extended gains, buoyed by the success of AI startup DeepSeek. Investor sentiment was boosted by a “mixture of trade restrictions not being as bad as they might have been and hope for further Chinese stimulus,” said Derren Nathan, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown. Tokyo was flat, despite Trump’s threats to target Japanese goods should the US trade deficit with the country fail to equalise. Wall Street dropped on Friday after official data showed US consumers increasingly worried about inflation and in reaction to news that fewer American jobs than expected had been created last month.
This week’s schedule includes a January consumer price report and congressional appearances by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. In company news on Monday, BP shares surged more than seven percent in London, following reports that a prominent activist fund had built a significant stake, aiming to turn around the struggling oil and gas major. McDonald’s jumped 4.8 percent despite reporting a dip in profits following a drop in US comparable store sales. But executives said they expect a full comeback in the US market by the start of the second quarter after a food poisoning outbreak in the western United States last autumn depressed sales.
– Key figures around 2130 GMT –
New York – Dow: UP 0.4 percent at 44,470.41 (close)
New York – S&P 500: UP 0.7 percent at 6,066.44 (close)
New York – Nasdaq: UP 1.0 percent at 19,714.27 (close)
London – FTSE 100: UP 0.8 percent at 8,767.80 (close)
Paris – CAC 40: UP 0.4 percent at 8,006.22 (close)
Frankfurt – DAX: UP 0.6 percent at 21,911.74 (close)
Tokyo – Nikkei 225: FLAT at 38,801.17 (close)
Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 1.8 percent to 21,521.98 (close)
Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.6 percent to 3,322.17 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0308 from $1.0328 on Friday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2364 from $1.2402
Dollar/yen: UP at 151.97 yen from 151.41 yen
Euro/pound: UP at 83.35 from 83.27 pence
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 1.6 percent at $75.87 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.9 percent at $72.32 per barrel
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© 2024 AFP
