Global stock markets exhibited a mixed performance on Monday as investors remained attentive to economic indicators and policy changes implemented by U.S. President Donald Trump. The nuances in these areas are anticipated to influence the actions of central banks in the near future.
In early trading, France’s CAC 40 experienced a slight decrease of nearly 0.1%, settling at 8,171.59, while Germany’s DAX saw a gain of 0.4%, reaching 22,560.00. The FTSE 100 in Britain increased marginally by 0.1% to 8,742.97.
U.S. stock exchanges were closed on Monday due to a federal holiday.
Asian markets had their own developments, with Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 showing signs of growth in the morning after a Cabinet Office report revealed an annual economic growth rate of 2.8% for the period of October to December, bolstered by solid exports and stable consumption. However, this initial rise was short-lived, and the index later fluctuated, ultimately ending slightly up by less than 0.1% at 39,174.25.
On a quarterly comparison, Japan’s economy, which ranks as the fourth largest globally, expanded by 0.7%, marking three consecutive quarters of growth. The country celebrated its fourth straight year of economic expansion, achieving a 0.1% increase in real gross domestic product for the previous year, which reflects the total value of goods and services produced within the nation.
In other parts of the Asian market, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dipped by 0.2% to 8,537.10, while South Korea’s Kospi enjoyed an increase of 0.8%, closing at 2,610.42. Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index saw a decrease of less than 0.1% to 22,616.23, and the Shanghai Composite index rose by 0.3%, finishing at 3,355.83.
Global investors are keeping a close eye on potential upward pressures from recently announced tariffs by Trump. However, analysts are beginning to believe that he might sidestep triggering a severe global trade conflict.
One of his latest tariff announcements, for instance, is slated to take effect in several weeks, providing some leeway for negotiations between Washington and other nations.
The intent of both the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan is to maintain inflation at the target level of 2%.
In the energy market, U.S. crude benchmarks rose by 28 cents, reaching $71.02 per barrel, while the international standard, Brent crude, increased by 34 cents to $75.08 a barrel.
As for currency transactions, the U.S. dollar fell against the Japanese yen, valued at 151.90 yen compared to 152.25 yen previously. The euro was priced at $1.0472, down from $1.0495.
