European shares experienced a decline on Friday following a mixed trading session in Asia, with mainland Chinese markets continuing their losses for the first week of the new year. Germany's DAX dropped by 0.3% to 19,967.34, while the CAC 40 in Paris lost 0.7% to 7,345.59. Britain's FTSE 100 also edged 0.1% lower to 8,256.98.
Meanwhile, the future for the S&P 500 rose by 0.4%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average saw a 0.3% increase. Japan's market remained closed for the New Year holiday, while the dollar traded at 157.24 Japanese yen, slightly down from 157.51 yen.
Despite Hong Kong stocks rebounding from Thursday's decline, with the Hang Seng surging 0.7% to 19,760.27, shares in Shanghai and Shenzhen faced losses due to concerns over potential tariff increases on imports from China and other Asian countries by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. The Shanghai Composite index dropped by 1.6% to 3,211.43, and Shenzhen's benchmark fell by 2.7%.
South Korea's Kospi index saw a significant jump of 1.8% to 2,441.92, with companies like SK Hynix Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. experiencing gains. This surge came after promises from the acting president and finance minister to stabilize the economy amidst a political crisis in South Korea.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 also climbed by 0.6% to 8,250.50. On Thursday, the S&P 500 extended its four-day losing streak, falling by 0.2%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq composite also experienced declines.
In the energy trading sector, benchmark U.S. crude declined by 35 cents to $72.78 per barrel, while Brent crude, the international standard, gave up 36 cents to $75.57 a barrel. In currency trading, the euro saw a slight increase, costing $1.0291 compared to $1.0268.
