Stocks in Europe and Asia showed a mixed trend on Friday following Wall Street's surge to new highs, driven by significant gains in chipmakers. In Europe, Germany's DAX inched up 0.1% while the CAC 40 in Paris dipped 0.2% and London's FTSE 100 climbed 0.7%. Futures for the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average were slightly higher.
Asian markets saw Japan's Nikkei 225 briefly surpass 41,000 before closing 0.2% lower. Chinese property and tech firms weighed on Shanghai and Hong Kong markets, with the Hang Seng falling 2.2% and the Shanghai Composite dropping 1%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.2% while India's Sensex rose 0.3%.
On Wall Street, the S&P 500 set a new record for the third consecutive day, rising 0.3%, with three-quarters of its stocks gaining. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq also reached new highs. Micron surged 14.1% after strong quarterly results, leading chipmakers higher. Broadcom rose 5.6% on AI opportunities.
Reddit soared 48.4% in its stock market debut, offsetting Apple's 4.1% decline post-antitrust lawsuit news. Accenture dropped 9.3% despite beating profit estimates but missing full-year forecasts.
Treasury yields remained stable after the Fed's rate cut expectations. Positive U.S. economic reports eased inflation concerns. The Swiss National Bank cut interest rates, while the Bank of England held rates steady despite falling inflation.
In oil markets, U.S. crude gained 4 cents to $81.11 per barrel, and Brent crude held at $85.24. The U.S. dollar weakened against the Japanese yen and euro.
