The Japan Times - European stock markets end year with gains

London's benchmark FTSE 100 index closed up 0.6 percent and the Paris CAC 40 rallied 0.9 percent in a shortened trading day.

Over 2024, London gained nearly six percent as falling global inflation triggered interest-rate cuts from major central banks.

That pushed global stock markets to record-high levels this year, as did a tech boom on rapid growth for the artificial intelligence sector.

Paris fell 2.2 percent over the year, with the index hit late in the year by political turmoil in France, while China's economic slowdown impacted the luxury sector.

Frankfurt, whose last trading day was Monday, surged nearly 19 percent over the year despite Europe's biggest economy Germany enduring a tough time.

Traders closed out the year "amid uncertainty over monetary policy and the economic outlook under a Trump presidency", Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, noted Tuesday.

Asian stock markets ended the year mainly in the red after worries about 2025 and profit-taking turned Wall Street's usual holiday period "Santa Claus rally" into a mini-rout.

The three main US indices all slumped around one percent on Monday, with the tech sector extending Friday's losses.

Volumes were thin but brokers said investors were locking in gains after a bumper 2024, particularly for the "Magnificent Seven" troop of US tech giants.

Concerns about the slow pace of US interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve and uncertainty about Trump's tariff plans soured the mood.

"In Asia, notably China, tariffs may appear to be a manageable obstacle if they were the only concern," said Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management.

"However, China's economic difficulties go well beyond simple trade conflicts. The nation is also contending with serious domestic consumption challenges and self-induced setbacks in its technology sector," Innes added.

China's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for manufacturing was 50.1 in December, signalling a third consecutive month of expansion, official data showed on Tuesday.

President Xi Jinping said China would put in place "more proactive" macroeconomic policies next year, according to state media, with economists warning that more direct fiscal stimulus aimed at shoring up domestic consumption was needed.

The yuan on Tuesday reached the lowest level versus the dollar since October 2023.

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index, which closed out the year Monday, gained almost 20 percent in 2024, finally surpassing the high seen before Japan's asset bubble burst in the 1990s.

- Key figures around 1300 GMT -

London - FTSE 100: UP 0.6 percent at 8,173.02 points (close)

Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.9 percent at 7,380.74 (close)

Frankfurt - DAX: closed

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: closed

Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.1 percent at 20,059.95 (close)

Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 1.6 percent at 3,351.76 (close)

Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0397 from $1.0401 on Monday

Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2535 from $1.2548

Dollar/yen: UP at 156.87 yen from 156.41 yen

Euro/pound: DOWN at 82.92 pence from 82.93 pence

West Texas Intermediate: FLAT at $70.98 per barrel

Brent North Sea Crude: FLAT at $73.96 per barrel

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K.Nakajima--JT