London (AFP) – Global stocks diverged and the dollar gained Friday following a bounce on Wall Street as traders weighed weak European economic data and concerns over escalating tensions in the Russia-Ukraine war. Bitcoin pushed on further with its march towards the $100,000 mark, as the cryptocurrency benefits from US president-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to ease regulation around digital tokens.
The euro hit a two-year-low against the dollar and the pound retreated after a closely watched survey showed a contraction in business activity in November in the eurozone and the UK. The dollar, considered a safe haven asset, was also bolstered by geopolitical uncertainty after Russia said the conflict in Ukraine had the characteristics of a “global” war and did not rule out strikes on Western countries.
Paris and Frankfurt stocks fell as the survey showed that Germany and France, the eurozone’s two biggest economies, were once again driving the weakness, with the latter posting the fastest fall in activity since January. “Businesses across Europe seem to be acutely concerned about the risks posed by president-elect Trump’s radical tariff proposals,” said Matthew Ryan, head of market strategy at financial technology firm Ebury. Germany’s third-quarter growth was also downgraded Friday with official data showing it expanded even more weakly than previously thought.
London managed to gain around 0.7 percent despite data showing that retail sales figures for October undershot forecasts. All three main indexes on Wall Street ended Thursday on a positive note with observers saying traders had dialled back their gloom over Nvidia’s huge earnings that fell short of the highest expectations.
In Asia, Tokyo climbed as the government prepared to announce a $140 billion stimulus package to kickstart the country’s stuttering economy. However, Hong Kong and Shanghai sank on a sell-off in tech firms caused by weak earnings from firms including Temu-owner PDD Holdings and internet giant Baidu. Bitcoin set a new record high of $99,505.45 Friday morning before easing back slightly. It is broadly expected to soon burst through $100,000 as investors grow increasingly hopeful that Trump will pass measures to deregulate the crypto sector.
Bitcoin has soared more than 40 percent since his election victory this month and it has more than doubled since the turn of the year. The recent surge has also been “driven by news that Trump could set up an official crypto department that would sit in the heart of US government,” said Kathleen Brooks, research director at trading group XTB. In a further boost, the top US securities regulator Gary Gensler, who oversaw measures to rein in cryptocurrencies, announced Thursday that he intends to step down when Trump takes office in January. The move clears the way for the president-elect to pick Gensler’s successor.
– Key figures around 1115 GMT –
London – FTSE 100: UP 0.7 percent at 8,203.26
Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 0.3 percent at 7,192.43
Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 0.1 percent at 19,120.91
Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.7 percent at 38,283.85 (close)
Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.9 percent at 19,229.97 (close)
Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 3.1 percent at 3,267.19 (close)
New York – Dow: UP 1.1 percent at 43,870.35 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0420 from $1.0476 on Thursday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2515 from $1.2587
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 154.43 yen from 154.54 yen
Euro/pound: UP at 83.23 pence from 83.20 pence
West Texas Intermediate: FLAT percent at $70.12 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.1 percent at $74.28 per barrel
© 2024 AFP
