TOKYO — Global shares displayed a mixed performance on Thursday, with European markets seeing gains while most major Asian benchmarks, excluding Tokyo, experienced declines.
In Europe, France’s CAC 40 edged up 0.2% to 8,109.40, Germany’s DAX rose 0.3% to 18,742.83, and Britain’s FTSE 100 remained flat at 8,373.25. U.S. futures indicated a positive start, with the S&P 500 up 0.5% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average nearly unchanged.
According to the Associated Press, Asian trading saw a boost in semiconductor-related stocks following Nvidia’s impressive earnings report, which revealed a more than sevenfold increase in quarterly net income to $14.88 billion, driven by the company’s success in the artificial intelligence sector. Taiwan’s Taiex reached a record high, gaining 0.3% to close at 21,607.43.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 1.3% to finish at 39,103.22, led by significant advances in semiconductor companies. Disco Corp. surged 8%, and Advantest Corp. jumped 5.4%.
Conversely, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.5% to 7,811.80, and South Korea’s Kospi dipped nearly 0.1% to 2,721.81, with the Bank of Korea maintaining its policy rate as expected.
Chinese shares were down amid skepticism about new policies aimed at addressing the property sector crisis. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped 1.7% to 18,868.71, while the Shanghai Composite fell 1.3% to 3,116.39.
On Wall Street, the S&P 500 decreased by 0.3%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.2% on Wednesday. The latest Federal Reserve meeting minutes indicated that controlling inflation may take longer than previously expected, despite recent suggestions of potential rate cuts by Fed Chair Jerome Powell.
Fed officials expressed willingness to raise rates if inflation worsens, tempering hopes for a rate cut this year. The Fed aims to balance slowing the economy to control inflation without triggering a severe recession.
In other markets, U.S. benchmark crude rose by 3 cents to $77.60 a barrel, and Brent crude, the international standard, increased by 7 cents to $81.79 a barrel. The U.S. dollar slightly declined to 156.77 Japanese yen from 156.80 yen, while the euro strengthened to $1.0842 from $1.0824.
