Lola Evans
13 Dec 2025, 02:41 GMT+10
NEW YORK, New York - Wall Street saw across-the-board losses on Friday as investors and traders continued to fret about the potential of an AI bubble. Concern is also being felt as the drums of war beat on both sides of the Atlantic. U.S. President Donald Trump appears to be laying thr ground for all-out war with Venezuela, while Europe is starting to fear the propects of a global conflict.
"Russia has brought war back to Europe, and we must be prepared for the scale of war our grandparents or great-grandparents endured," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Friday.
All major indices finished the session lower as renewed concerns over interest rates and profit-taking in technology shares additionally weighed on sentiment.
The Standard and Poor's 500 fell sharply, closing at 6,827.41, down 73.59 points, a decline of 1.07 percent. The benchmark index traded between 6,801.79 and 6,899.85 during the session as investors reassessed risk appetite heading into the weekend.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average also retreated, losing 245.96 points to settle at 48,458.05, a drop of 0.51 percent. The blue-chip gauge moved within a range of 48,334.10 to 48,886.86.
The NASDAQ Composite posted the steepest losses among the major indices, sliding 398.69 points to close at 23,195.17, a decline of 1.69 percent, as heavyweight technology and growth stocks faced renewed selling pressure.
U.S. dollar rebounds Friday but gains are limited
The world foreign exchange market delivered a mixed performance on Friday, with the U.S. dollar firming against several major peers while easing slightly against the euro.
The euro edged higher against the US dollar, with the EUR/USD pair rising to 1.1742, an increase of 0.04 percent, as traders assessed fresh economic data out of the eurozone.
Against the Japanese yen, the US dollar strengthened, with USD/JPY climbing to 155.84, up 0.17 percent, reflecting continued divergence in monetary policy expectations between the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan.
The U.S. dollar/Canadian dollar pair was little changed, with USD/CAD ticking up to 1.3769, a gain of 0.01 percent, as oil price movements offered limited direction for the loonie.
The British pound slipped against the greenback Friday, with GBP/USD dipping to 1.3368, a decline of 0.11 percent, amid ongoing concerns about the UK's economic outlook.
The U.S. dollar also strengthened against the Swiss franc, with USD/CHF rising to 0.7959, an increase of 0.09 percent.
The Australian dollar retreated, with AUD/USD falling to 0.6650, a drop of 0.20 percent, as soft commodity prices weighed on sentiment.
Similarly, the New Zealand dollar weakened, with NZD/USD easing to 0.5801, down 0.11 percent, as investors remained cautious ahead of next week's regional economic releases.
Global markets see gains in Asia, but falls across most other regions
World stock markets delivered a mixed performance on Friday, with Asian indices providing much of the upward momentum while key UK, European, and Canadian benchmarks finished the session lower.
In Canada, the S&P/TSX Composite Index slipped 133.34 points to 31,527.39, a decrease of 0.42 percent, with weakness across energy, materials, and financials contributing to the decline.
In London, the FTSE 100 retreated, closing at 9,649.03, down 54.13 points, a decline of 0.56 percent. The index traded between 9,639.29 and 9,761.47 during the session.
Germany's DAX also slipped, ending the day at 24,186.49, down 108.12 points, or 0.45 percent, after moving within a range of 24,173.28 to 24,474.62.
In Paris, France, Friday, the CAC 40 eased 17.14 points, closing at 8,068.62, a fall of 0.21 percent. Trading spanned from 8,068.62 to 8,155.39.
The Euro Stoxx 50 weakened as well, dropping 33.25 points to 5,720.71, a dip of 0.58 percent, after fluctuating between 5,718.97 and 5,794.70.
Elsewhere on the continent, the Euronext 100 Index fell 7.51 points to settle at 1,694.53, a decline of 0.44 percent, while Belgium's BEL 20 closed 14.48 points lower at 4,986.02, down 0.29 percent.
Asian markets, by contrast, recorded notable gains across the board.
China's SSE Composite Index posted a moderate rise, gaining 16.03 points to close at 3,889.35, an increase of 0.41 percent.
In Japan the Nikkei 225 closed the week on a strong note, climbing 687.73 points to 50,836.55, a rise of 1.37 percent, underscoring continued investor optimism in Tokyo.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index surged 446.28 points to finish at 25,976.79, an increase of 1.75 percent, trading between 25,697.43 and 26,006.47.
In Singapore on Friday, the STI Index advanced 65.62 points to 4,586.45, up 1.45 percent, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 105.30 points to 8,697.30, a gain of 1.23 percent. The broader All Ordinaries climbed 105.80 points to 8,983.30, up 1.19 percent.
In New Zealand the S&P/NZX 50 edged up 11.04 points to 13,406.91, a modest increase of 0.08 percent,
India's S&P BSE Sensex closed at 85,267.66, rising 449.52 points, or 0.53 percent, after reaching as high as 85,320.82.
In Indonesia the IDX Composite strengthened 40.02 points to 8,660.50, up 0.46 percent, and Malaysia's FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI moved 12.42 points higher to 1,637.81, a rise of 0.76 percent.
In South Korea on Friday, the KOSPI jumped 56.54 points to 4,167.16, advancing 1.38 percent.
Taiwan's Weighted Index added 173.27 points to finish at 28,198.02, up 0.62 percent.
In South Africa, the Top 40 USD Net TRI Index closed at 6,726.37, rising 52.07 points, a gain of 0.78 percent.
Middle East markets were closed on Friday and will reopen on Sunday.
(This report incorporates quotes retrieved with the assistance of artificial intelligence).
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Thursday 11 December 2025 | Dow Jones jums 646 points to new all-time high | Big News Network.com
Wednesday 10 December 2025 | U.S. stock markets surge on Fed rate decision | Big News Network.com
Tuesday 9 December 2025 | All eyes on Fed as U.S. markets diverge | Big News Network.com
Monday 8 December 2025 | Wall Street slides ahead of Wednesday's Fed rate decision | Big News Network.com
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