Global stocks close higher, U.S. dollar edges higher

Big News Network.com
18 Feb 2025, 03:00 GMT+10

London's FTSE 100 ended the day at 8,768.01 (up 35.55 points or 0.41 percent).
Germany's DAX P surged by 284.67 points to 22,798.09 (up 1.26 percent).
Japan's Nikkei 225 added 24.82 points to close at 39,174.25 (up 0.06 percent).

London, UK - Monday's trading session ended with a diverse range of performances across global markets, as major indices posted modest gains and losses amid mixed investor sentiment. U.S. markets were closed for Presidents Day.

UK and European markets displayed a largely positive tone. In the United Kingdom, the Cboe UK 100 climbed by 4.36 points to 879.70 (up 0.50 percent). London's FTSE 100 ended the day at 8,768.01 (up 35.55 points or 0.41 percent).

On the continent, Germany's DAX P surged by 284.67 points to 22,798.09 (up 1.26 percent), while France's CAC 40 inched higher by 10.59 points to 8,189.13 (up 0.13 percent).

The EURO STOXX 50 also advanced by 26.43 points to 5,519.83 (up 0.48 percent), with the Euronext 100 and BEL 20 gaining 8.02 points to 1,602.04 (up 0.50 percent) and 5.73 points to 4,402.31 (up 0.13 percent) respectively.

MSCI EUROPE registered a modest rise of 6.02 points to 2,222.75 (up 0.27 percent).

Currency and commodity-related indices posted minor moves as well. The U.S. Dollar Index inched up 0.02 points to 106.73 (up 0.02 percent). Both the British Pound Currency Index and the Euro Currency Index saw slight gains, increasing by 0.26 and 0.27 points to finish at 125.87 (up 0.20 percent) and 104.93 (up 0.26 percent) respectively.

Asian and Pacific markets were a study in contrasts. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index dipped 4.10 points to 22,616.23 (down 0.02 percent), while Japan's Nikkei 225 added 24.82 points to close at 39,174.25 (up 0.06 percent).

China's SSE Composite Index advanced by 9.11 points to 3,355.83 (up 0.27 percent). In the currency arena, the Japanese Yen Currency Index gained 0.22 points to 65.64 (up 0.33 percent), and Australia's own currency index rose 0.33 points to 63.51 (up 0.52 percent).

Australia's equity benchmarks showed slight declines, with the S&P/ASX 200 falling 18.70 points to 8,537.10 (down 0.22 percent) and the All Ordinaries easing 13.20 points to 8,811.90 (down 0.15 percent).

Emerging and frontier markets experienced mixed results. India's S&P BSE Sensex nudged higher by 57.65 points to 75,996.86 (up 0.08 percent). Malaysia's FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI slipped 8.84 points to 1,582.76 (down 0.56 percent).

New Zealand's S&P/NZX 50 INDEX GROSS was reported twice with slight differences – one reading showed no change at 13,068.93 (0.00 percent), while another indicated an increase of 79.75 points (up 0.61 percent).

South Korea's KOSPI Composite Index rose 19.37 points to 2,610.42 (up 0.75 percent), and Taiwan's TWSE Capitalization Weighted Stock Index added 352.72 points to finish at 23,505.33 (up 1.52 percent). Canada's S&P/TSX Composite index fell 215.27 points to 25,483.23 (down 0.84 percent).

Latin America also had varied results. Brazil's IBOVESPA was reported with two close readings – one version closed at 128,720.02 (up 501.43 points or 0.39 percent) and another at 128,920.35 (up 701.76 points or 0.55 percent). Mexico's IPC MEXICO also appeared twice, finishing at approximately 54,284 (gaining roughly 206.23 to 207.00 points, up 0.38 percent). In Chile, the S&P IPSA ended at 7,303.62 after falling 56.29 points (down 0.76 percent), while Argentina's MERVAL suffered a steeper drop, declining 133,197.00 points to 2,254,188.75 (down 5.58 percent).

Other notable performances came from Israel's TA-125, which closed at 2,571.21 after a 10.81-point loss (down 0.42 percent), and Egypt's EGX 30 Price Return Index, which inched down 7.10 points to 30,436.70 (down 0.02 percent). South Africa's Top 40 USD Net TRI Index retreated 44.00 points to 4,703.21 (down 0.93 percent). In a dramatic move, Indonesia's IDX Composite (JKSE) plunged 6,638.46 points to finish at 6,830.88 – a staggering drop of 49.29 percent.

Repeating figures from some indices affirmed these moves, with additional reports mirroring earlier data for the CAC 40, EURO STOXX 50, Euronext 100, BEL 20, Hang Seng, STI Index (which advanced 27.35 points to 3,904.85, up 0.71 percent), S&P/ASX 200, All Ordinaries, S&P BSE Sensex, FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI, KOSPI Composite Index, TWSE Capitalization Weighted Stock Index, S&P/TSX Composite index, IBOVESPA, IPC MEXICO, S&P IPSA, MERVAL, TA-125, EGX 30, Top 40 USD Net TRI Index, US Dollar Index, MSCI EUROPE, British Pound Currency Index, Euro Currency Index, SSE Composite Index, Nikkei 225, Japanese Yen Currency Index, and Australian Dollar Currency Index.

Overall, Monday's closing session painted a picture of cautious trading with modest fluctuations in developed markets and more volatile moves in certain emerging regions. Investors will be watching closely for further developments in global economic indicators as the week unfolds.