European stocks steady at open
European stock markets steadied at the start of trading Friday following a mixed showing in Asia. London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index edged up 0.1 percent to 7,470.36 points. In the eurozone, Frankfurt’s DAX index was flat at 14,543.68 points and the Paris CAC 40 was stable at 6,708.18.
Sensex, Nifty end flat after listless trade
Domestic benchmark indices remained listless on Friday as record high levels in indices triggered minor profit booking. The S&P BSE Sensex, which hit a new lifetime high of 62,448 earlier today, ended at 62,294, up 21 points or 0.03 percent. The NSE Nifty50, meanwhile, ended at 18,513, up 29 points or 0.15 percent. The index claimed new 52-week high of 18,535. Reliance Industries, Wipro, IndusInd Bank, Axis Bank, Tech M, Tata Steel, Maruti Suzuki, and M&M were the top Sensex gainers, rising between 0.5 percent and 1.2 percent. HDFC Life, Tata Motors, Divis Labs, Hero MotoCorp, Coal India, Eocher Motors, and BPCL were the additional gainers on the Nifty50 index.
Japan stocks lower at close of trade
Japan stocks were lower after the close on Friday, as losses in the Power, Shipbuilding and Communication sectors led shares lower. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 lost 0.35 percent. Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by 1972 to 1510 and 341 ended unchanged. Shares in Fukuoka Financial Group, Inc. rose to 3-years highs; gaining 4.64 percent or 123.00 to 2,775.00. The Nikkei Volatility, which measures the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, was down 2.39 percent to 17.15 a new 52-week low. Crude oil for January delivery was up 0.69 percent or 0.54 to $78.48 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in January rose 0.48 percent or 0.41 to hit $85.75 a barrel, while the December Gold Futures contract fell 0.04 percent or 0.65 to trade at $1,754.45 a troy ounce. USD/JPY was up 0.05 percent to 138.68, while EUR/JPY rose 0.05 percent to 144.35.
France stocks higher at close of trade
France stocks were higher after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Basic Materials, Technology and Consumer Goods sectors led shares higher. At the close in Paris, the CAC 40 gained 0.42 percent to hit a new 6-months high, while the SBF 120 index climbed 0.49 percent. Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Paris Stock Exchange by 344 to 196 and 93 ended unchanged. The CAC 40 VIX, which measures the implied volatility of CAC 40 options, was unchanged 0.00 percent to 18.96 a new 52-week high. Gold Futures for December delivery was up 0.57 percent or 10.00 to $1,755.60 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in January rose 0.32 percent or 0.25 to hit $78.19 a barrel, while the January Brent oil contract rose 0.05 percent or 0.04 to trade at $85.45 a barrel.
FTSE 100 edges higher
The FTSE 100 rose on Friday, with gains in energy and defensive shares offsetting weakness in retail stocks as Black Friday sales began against a backdrop of a worsening cost-of-living crisis. The blue-chip FTSE 100 rose 0.3 percent, set to end with weekly gains of 1.4 percent on hopes of smaller rate hikes from the U.S. Federal Reserve. REITS and homebuilders fell the most in morning trade, while residential property services provider LSL Property Services was down 11.5 percent after flagging a bleak fiscal 2022 outlook. Berenberg does not expect the trough in UK homebuilders’ earnings to occur until 2024, the brokerage said in a note on Friday, reiterating its cautious view on the sector. Retail stocks dropped 0.3 percent on Black Friday, which typically marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season. UK markets have recovered sharply from their October lows, when a botched mini-budget roiled investor sentiment, with the FTSE 100 hovering near two-month highs as new government leadership tries to restore confidence in the British economy. Energy stocks were a bright spot, gaining 1.3 percent on higher oil prices. The domestically focussed FTSE 250 midcap slid 0.4 percent, but the index is on track for a gain of nearly 1 percent on the week.
Canada’s stock market marks soccer world cup time
Investors in Canada’s main stock market seemed to mark the fact that the soccer World Cup is well and truly underway in Qatar by pushing the Toronto Stock Exchange up near 60 points on Thursday to make it a ‘hat trick’ of successive winning days for total gains of near 360 points. This takes the overall index closer to the 20,400 level and its highest levels in five months. Almost all sectors reported gains today, with Battery Metals leading up near 0.8 percent, followed by Info Tech and Health Care, both up nearer 0.6 percent. In the commodities space, while there was some electronic trading Thursday, volumes were seen as light. There was more focus on Europe where diplomats were locked in talks over how strict a price cap on Russian oil should be. According to Bloomberg, some countries were saying a $65 proposal was “too generous” to Moscow. Negotiations between EU ambassadors was delayed beyond Thursday.
Gulf markets mixed as Qatar ends 7-day losing streak
Most stock markets in the Gulf ended mixed on Wednesday amid volatile oil prices, with the Qatari index snapping a seven-session losing streak. Crude prices, a key catalyst for the Gulf’s financial markets, reversed course to fall by more than $2 a barrel as the Group of Seven (G7) nations looked at a price cap on Russian oil above where the crude grade is currently trading. The G7 is looking at a price cap on Russian sea-borne oil in the range of $65-70 per barrel, a European Union diplomat said. Qatari stocks gained 0.6 percent, led by a 4.1 percent jump in Commercial Bank and a 2.6 percent rise in Islamic lender Masraf Al Rayan. In Abu Dhabi, the index advanced 1.3 percent, buoyed by a 1.7 percent rise in conglomerate International Holding.