Japan stocks higher at close of trade; Nikkei 225 up 0.99pc
Japan stocks were higher after the close on Friday, as gains in the Paper & Pulp, Railway & Bus and Real Estate sectors led shares higher. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 gained 0.99 percent. Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by 2515 to 1060 and 204 ended unchanged. The Nikkei Volatility, which measures the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, was unchanged 0.00 percent to 14.88. Crude oil for March delivery was up 1.42 percent or 0.74 to $52.88 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in April rose 1.12 percent or 0.64 to hit $57.97 a barrel, while the February Gold Futures contract fell 0.64 percent or 10.20 to trade at $1573.30 a troy ounce. USD/JPY was up 0.11 percent to 109.06, while EUR/JPY rose 0.06 percent to 120.24. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.02 percent at 97.730.
[divider style=”normal” top=”20″ bottom=”20″]
France stocks lower at close of trade; CAC 40 down 1.11pc
France stocks were lower after the close on Friday, as losses in the Foods & Drugs, Gas & Water and General Financial sectors led shares lower. At the close in Paris, the CAC 40 fell 1.11 percent to hit a new 1-month low, while the SBF 120 index lost 1.01 percent. Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Paris Stock Exchange by 354 to 209 and 89 ended unchanged. Shares in Peugeot SA (PA:PEUP) fell to 52-week lows; down 2.69 percent or 0.52 to 18.61. The CAC 40 VIX, which measures the implied volatility of CAC 40 options, was down 3.14 percent to 15.43. Gold Futures for February delivery was down 0.02 percent or 0.30 to $1583.20 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in March fell 1.53 percent or 0.80 to hit $51.34 a barrel, while the April Brent oil contract fell 1.53 percent or 0.88 to trade at $56.45 a barrel.
[divider style=”normal” top=”20″ bottom=”20″]
FTSE 100 drops, midcaps advance on Brexit day
London’s FTSE 100 slipped on Friday as coronavirus fears intensified and a firmer pound dragged exporter shares lower, while Aston Martin drove the midcaps higher, hours before Britain leaves the European Union. The main index gave up 0.4 percent to levels last seen in mid-December, as the Bank of England’s decision to keep interest rates unchanged supported sterling and hit firms that earn largely in U.S. dollars. HSBC, Diageo and AstraZeneca were among the biggest drags on the index. The FTSE 250 recorded a 0.3pc gain, with Aston Martin surging 25 percent after Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll said he would take a stake in the company. Still, both British benchmark indexes look set to shed nearly 2.5 percent this month, as the outbreak has driven dealers away from risky assets such as stocks. Smaller stocks saw some sharp declines.
[divider style=”normal” top=”20″ bottom=”20″]
[ads1]
FTSE 100 stumbles as coronavirus spreads to the UK
Britain’s FTSE 100 has fallen sharply after two people tested positive for coronavirus in the UK and the pound rose following the Bank of England’s decision to hold interest rates yesterday. European stock markets also fell after data showed the Eurozone grew at its slowest rate in six years in 2019. US shares followed them downwards. The FTSE was down 1.3 percent. Germany’s Dax was 1.1 percent lower, France’s CAC 40 was down 1.0 percent, and the pan-European Euronext 100 had shed 0.9 percent. In the US, the S&P 500 had dropped 1.1 percent, the Dow Jones was down 1.3 percent, and the Nasdaq was 0.9 percent lower. The coronavirus outbreak has now claimed 213 lives and infected 9,800 people globally, the vast majority in China, where it began.
[divider style=”normal” top=”20″ bottom=”20″]
S&P 500 due for major correction
The S&P 500 (SPX) continues to show its might. The index was up 27.2 points Thursday as bargain hunters welcomed the dip. Technical signals reveal that the SPX is no longer overheated and that it may resume its uptrend soon. But the fundamentals are telling a different story. Many stocks continue to trade in overbought or extreme overbought conditions. One portfolio manager discovered that the percentage of sectors at record valuations has reached a level not seen in both the tech and housing bubbles.
[divider style=”normal” top=”20″ bottom=”20″]
Canada Stocks-TSX falls as coronavirus fears hit oil prices
Canada’s main stock index fell on Friday, weighed down by losses in energy shares, as oil prices fell on rising worries over the potential economic damage from a coronavirus outbreak that has spread to around 20 countries. The World Health Organization declared the epidemic a global emergency on Thursday after the virus killed more than 200 people in China and infected thousands globally. The energy sector dropped 1.6 percent, as U.S. crude prices were down 0.9 percent a barrel, while Brent crude lost 0.2 percent. The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index was down 87.55 points, or 0.5 percent, at 17,403.01. The materials sector rose 0.4 percent as gold miners gained on the back of higher prices of the precious metal.
[divider style=”normal” top=”20″ bottom=”20″]
KSE-100 falls 273 points owing to global sell-off
Following a day’s respite, the stock market recorded losses once again on Friday as the KSE-100 index fell 273 points owing to global equity sell-off amid concern over world growth and dismal financial results. Major stock markets around the world tumbled during the day after the World Health Organisation (WHO) called coronavirus outbreak a global emergency. At close, the benchmark KSE-100 index recorded a decrease of 272.57 points, or 0.65 percent, to settle at 41,630.93. Overall, trading volumes increased to 193.9 million shares compared with Thursday’s tally of 162.2 million. The value of shares traded during the day was Rs7.9 billion. Shares of 346 companies were traded. At the end of the day, 123 stocks closed higher, 211 declined and 12 remained unchanged. Unity Foods was the volume leader with 24 million shares, gaining Rs0.14 to close at Rs13.98.