London (AFP) – Global markets mostly rose on Friday, with Hong Kong leading the way thanks to a surge in tech stocks led by e-commerce titan Alibaba. The gains followed a week marked by uncertainty as traders weighed the economic outlook in light of Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs and geopolitical machinations. Asian equities led gains, with Shanghai rising and Hong Kong piling on four percent to hit a three-year high fuelled by tech firms.
“The gains in Hong Kong and China came amid renewed excitement about the tech sector in the region as Alibaba announced big AI spending plans,” said AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould. China’s Alibaba rocketed more than 14 percent following its forecast-busting earnings figures the previous day. The firm has bounced nearly 70 percent higher since the turn of the year. Other household names pushed the Hang Seng Index higher, with Tencent adding more than six percent, and JD.com and XD Inc gaining more than five percent. China’s tech sector has been on a roll this year and has been given an extra boost since startup DeepSeek unveiled a chatbot that upended the global AI sector.
In the eurozone, Paris and Frankfurt markets rose after a closely watched survey showed that business activity grew again, albeit at a very small pace. London’s FTSE 100 also edged up, shrugging off the same survey that showed UK private sector activity was little changed from a month earlier. The euro retreated against the dollar ahead of the German election on Sunday, with investors expecting a more expansionary fiscal policy from Berlin to revive Europe’s largest economy.
“The election comes against a difficult backdrop for Germany right now, as their economy has just experienced two consecutive annual contractions over 2023 and 2024,” said Deutsche Bank’s Jim Reid. Wall Street opened mixed, with the Dow Jones dropping thanks in large part due to a nine percent drop in UnitedHealth Group shares following a report that it is under federal fraud investigation for some of its billing practices. “This news has undercut the stocks of other Medicare Advantage providers,” noted Briefing.com analyst Patrick O’Hare.
In Tokyo, the yen retreated after Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato said Friday that rising government bond yields—which are at their highest since 1999—could weigh on economic growth. That dented expectations the Bank of Japan would announce a series of rate hikes this year, even as data showed Japanese core inflation hit a 19-month high. Nissan shares jumped nearly 10 percent in Tokyo after a report that a Japanese group including a former prime minister plans to ask US electric vehicle giant Tesla to invest in the automaker.
Crude prices fell by more than one percent as traders expect the US to ease the sanctions that have limited Russian oil exports, leading to greater supply. “It is now clear that it is only a matter of time before Trump lifts sanctions against Russia,” said Arne Lohmann Rasmussen, chief analyst at Global Risk Management. “Although the EU is unlikely to follow suit, such a decision would enable increased Russian exports – particularly to refineries in China and India,” he added.
– Key figures around 1430 GMT –
New York – Dow: DOWN 0.6 percent at 44, points
New York – S&P 500: DOWN less than 0.1 percent at 6,112.52
New York – Nasdaq Composite: UP 0.2 percent at 19,995.94
London – FTSE 100: FLAT at 8,148.72
Paris – CAC 40: UP 0.3 percent at 8,148.72
Frankfurt – DAX: UP 0.1 percent at 22,339.00
Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.3 percent at 38,776.94 (close)
Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 4.0 percent at 23,477.92 (close)
Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.9 percent at 3,379.11 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0478 from $1.0505 on Thursday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2654 from $1.2668
Dollar/yen: UP at 150.26 from 149.65 yen
Euro/pound: DOWN at 82.81 pence from 82.90 pence
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 1.3 percent at $71.54 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 1.2 percent at $75.60 per barrel
© 2024 AFP
