Stock markets take breather at end of turbulent week / Photo: TIMOTHY A. CLARY - AFP
-
Portugal down US 2-0 as World Cup hosts again fail to shine
-
AI giant Anthropic says 'exploring' Australia data centre investments
-
Tuchel faces World Cup selection dilemmas after England falter
-
At gas stations, Americans say they're 'paying the price' of Iran war
-
Woods 'stepping away' to focus on health after DUI arrest
-
DR Congo beat Jamaica 1-0 to qualify for World Cup
-
Trump says war with Iran could end in 'two weeks, maybe three'
-
OpenAI raises $122 billion in boosted funding round
-
Morocco 'focused on World Cup' amid AFCON controversy
-
Trump says US to leave Iran 'very soon,' deal or not
-
Beating England will boost Japan's World Cup challenge: Moriyasu
-
Spain held by Egypt in World Cup warm-up marred by 'intolerable' chants
-
Woods pleads not guilty in driving while impaired car crash
-
Italy's World Cup nightmare continues after shoot-out defeat to Bosnia
-
Spain held by Egypt in World Cup warm-up
-
Italy to miss third straight World Cup after shoot-out defeat to Bosnia
-
Czech Republic beat Denmark on penalties to reach World Cup
-
Tuchel calls for calm after England suffer Japan setback before World Cup
-
Turkey qualify for World Cup with play-off win over Kosovo
-
Gyokeres sends Sweden to World Cup with dramatic winner against Poland
-
US stocks surge on hopes Iran war will end soon
-
Panama punish South Africa lapses in World Cup warm-up win
-
Mitoma fires Japan to historic first win over England
-
Scotland suffer more friendly woe against Ivory Coast
-
Brazil court quashes Neymar environmental damage fine
-
NFL officials can aid replacement refs under new rules
-
US Army probes helicopter flyby of Kid Rock's house
-
Golden toilet statue mocks Trump near renovated White House
-
Ballroom, library, airport: Trump aims to leave his mark
-
Netanyahu vows Israel will 'crush Iran's terror regime'
-
Blasts sow panic in Burundi's main city after arsenal fire
-
Kane out of World Cup warm-up against Japan with injury
-
Iran has 'will' to end war, but seeks guarantees, president says
-
Debutant Connolly guides Punjab to narrow IPL win over Gujarat
-
Dizzying month on markets with Middle East war
-
Woods says was looking at phone before crash: accident report
-
Young antelope shot dead at Vienna zoo
-
France eyes ban on social media for under-15s
-
Syrian president meets King Charles, Starmer on London visit
-
EU says 'necessary' to reduce fuel demand to cope with energy crisis
-
Iran players in Turkey pose with photos of young war victims
-
Prince Harry lawyers call for 'substantial damages' from UK tabloids
-
Tottenham appoint De Zerbi in battle for Premier League survival
-
US Supreme Court rules against ban on 'conversion therapy' for LGBTQ minors
-
Empty streets, markets in central Nigeria's Jos after major shooting
-
Italy delays coal phase-out by over a decade
-
Stocks rise on peace hopes, oil mixed
-
Israel weathers energy shock from Iran war even as world battles crisis
-
US consumers' inflation expectations surge on Mideast war
-
Napoli threaten absent Lukaku with disciplinary action
Stock markets take breather at end of turbulent week
Stock markets mostly retrenched on Friday at the end of a week jam-packed with geopolitical developments, content to languish after record-breaking performances in recent days.
European equities and the Dow Jones index in New York all slipped into negative territory, with investors in no mood to test recent highs.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq index, however, outperformed thanks to positive sentiment in the key tech sector.
Taiwan vowed to remain the world's "most important" maker of chips for artificial intelligence after reaching a trade deal with the United States that will reduce tariffs on the island's shipments and increase Taiwanese investment on US soil.
It comes one day after Taiwanese chipmaking titan TSMC posted a jump in profits, bolstering confidence that massive AI investments will pay off.
"The surge in demand for AI products manufactured by TSMC has pricked up the ears of the US administration," said Susannah Streeter, chief investment strategist at Wealth Club.
"The AI juggernaut clearly has further to run, with demand for AI chips seemingly insatiable for now," she added.
On Thursday, Wall Street's tech-rich Nasdaq index had already piled on more than one percent early in the session thanks to gains among leading chip companies.
But later in the day there was "kind of a roll-back in the megacap stock and semiconductors", said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare.
In commodities trading, oil prices rebounded after shedding five percent Thursday as US President Donald Trump appeared to step back from military action against Iran, a major producer of crude oil.
- Key figures at around 1450 GMT -
New York - Dow: DOWN 0.1 percent at 49,399 points
New York - S&P 500 : UP 0.2 percent at 6,956.51
New York - Nasdaq: UP 0.4 percent at 23,622.11
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.2 percent at 10,223.15
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 0.4 percent at 25,358.97
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.9 percent at 8,237.31
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.3 percent at 53,936.17 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.3 percent at 26,844.96 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.3 percent at 4,101.91 (close)
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1618 from $1.1605 on Thursday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3400 from $1.3377
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 157.99 yen from 158.63 yen
Euro/pound: DOWN 86.72 from 86.75 pence
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 1.0 percent at $64.37 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.9 percent at $59.65 per barrel
burs/jh/js
C.Garcia--AMWN
