NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks finished Thursday's trading session in positive territory, led by the Dow Jones Industrial Average, as European benchmarks struggled amid lingering economic concerns.
The Standard and Poor's 500 closed at 7,445.72, gaining 12.75 points, or zero point one seven percent, on volume of 2.913 billion shares. The index traded between a low of 7,389.48 and a high of 7,465.96, remaining well above its 52-week low of 5,767.41 and below the peak of 7,517.12.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average outperformed the broader market, rising 276.31 points to end at 50,285.66, an increase of zero point five five percent. Volume reached 559.124 million shares. The Dow's session ranged from 49,697.47 to 50,381.41, with a 52-week span of 41,354.09 to 50,512.79.
The NASDAQ Composite added 22.74 points to finish at 26,293.10, a modest gain of zero point zero nine percent, on the day's heaviest volume of 6.831 billion shares.
Across the Atlantic, European indices closed mostly lower. The index moved between 10,353.47 and 10,471.64, with its 52-week range at 8,604.80 to 10,934.90.
Germany's DAX P fell 130.47 points to 24,606.77, a decline of zero point five three percent, after touching a high of 24,894.63 and a low of 24,534.79. The index remains within its 52-week band of 21,863.81 to 25,507.79.
France's CAC 40 dropped 31.42 points to close at 8,086.00, down zero point three nine percent, after trading between 8,055.89 and 8,153.55. Its 52-week range is 7,505.27 to 8,642.23.
The EURO STOXX 50 I shed 15.75 points to end at 5,960.32, a loss of zero point two six percent, while the Euronext 100 Index slipped 0.15 points to 1,833.02, down zero point zero one percent. Belgium's BEL 20 was a notable gainer, jumping 48.78 points to 5,550.82, a rise of zero point eight nine percent.
London's FTSE 100 bucked the regional trend, rising 11.13 points to 10,443.47, a gain of zero point one one percent.
In North America, Canada's S&P/TSX Composite index advanced 247.67 points to 34,409.49, an increase of zero point seven two percent, on volume of 281.599 million shares.
In the Middle East, Israel's TA-125 closed unchanged at 4,325.86, showing a change of zero point zero zero percent. Egypt's EGX 30 Price Return Index rose 154.20 points to finish at 52,091.00, a gain of zero point three zero percent, with volume of 368.539 million shares. The index traded between a low of 51,801.40 and a high of 52,211.80.
South Africa's Top 40 USD Net TRI Index was the day's biggest decliner among major indexes, falling 71.65 points to close at 6,909.59, a loss of one point zero three percent.
Traders noted that while U.S. markets benefited from late-session buying, European indexes remained under pressure from growth worries and sector-specific sell-offs.
Asian Markets Close Mixed as Seoul Surges Over 8 Percent, Shanghai Slips
Asian stock markets ended Thursday with starkly contrasting performances, as South Korea's KOSPI index posted a staggering gain of more than 8 percent while Chinese markets tumbled into the red.
The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong finished lower, falling 264.60 points, or 1.03 percent, to close at 25,386.52. The index traded between a low of 25,341.73 and a high of 25,833.71, remaining well below its 52-week peak of 28,056.10.
In a dramatic session, South Korea's KOSPI Composite Index surged an extraordinary 606.64 points, soaring 8.42 percent to end at 7,815.59. The rally came on heavy volume of 621,082, bringing the index closer to its 52-week high of 8,046.78.
In Japan on Thursday, the Nikkei 225 also saw strong gains, jumping 1,879.73 points, or 3.1 percent, to settle at 61,684.14.
Elsewhere in the region, Taiwan's TWSE Capitalization Weighted Stock Index climbed 1,347.39 points, a gain of 3.37 percent, to finish at 41,368.21.
Australian benchmarks also advanced. The S&P/ASX 200 rose 125.10 points, or 1.47 percent, to 8,621.70, while the broader ALL Ordinaries added 123.80 points, or 1.42 percent, closing at 8,840.80.
Across the Tasman, New Zealand's S&P/NZX 50 Index gained 117.04 points, or 0.92 percent, ending at 12,878.07.
In Singapore, the STI Index edged up by a marginal 0.80 points, or 0.02 percent, to 5,045.71.
On the losing side, mainland China's SSE Composite Index dropped 84.91 points, or 2.04 percent, closing at 4,077.28 on turnover of 4.002 billion shares.
In India, the S&P BSE Sensex slipped 135.03 points, or 0.18 percent, to finish at 75,183.36, well off its 52-week high of 86,159.02.
Indonesia's IDX Composite fell sharply Thursday, losing 223.56 points, or 3.54 percent, to close at 6,094.94.
In Malaysia, the FTSE Bursa KLCI also declined, down 9.33 points, or 0.54 percent, ending at 1,708.36.
Traders noted that volatility across the region remained high, with Seoul's tech-heavy rally contrasting sharply with weakness in Chinese financial and property stocks.
Forex Markets Little Changed Thursday as U.S. Dollar Trades on Each-way Bets
Major currency pairs traded within narrow ranges on Thursday, with the U.S. dollar showing a mixed performance against its peers as investors weighed fresh economic signals and year-end positioning.
The euro edged virtually flat against the greenback, with the EUR/USD pair trading at 1.1622, down by just 0.00002. The session saw a high of 1.1635 and a low of 1.1576.
Sterling posted modest gains. GBP/USD rose 0.00034 to 1.3437, after reaching an intraday peak of 1.3454. The pair found support at 1.3392.
The Japanese yen weakened slightly. USD/JPY stood at 158.91, down 0.02 yen,with a trading range between 159.35 and 158.81.
The Swiss franc strengthened a touch against the dollar. USD/CHF fell 0.00095 to 0.7861, after touching a high of 0.7904 and a low of 0.7857.
The Canadian dollar was under pressure. USD/CAD climbed 0.00337 to 1.3779, a gain of zero point two five percent, as the pair oscillated between 1.3800 and 1.3738.
Commodity-linked currencies advanced. The Australian dollar saw AUD/USD add 0.00046 to trade at 0.7155, while NZD/USD rose 0.00077 to 0.5877. Both currencies benefited from firmer risk appetite.
In Asia, the Chinese yuan depreciated marginally. USD/CNY was quoted at 6.8032, up 0.00175, holding in a tight band between 6.8032 and 6.8040.
Traders said volumes were moderate ahead of key U.S. inflation data due later this week, with many participants squaring positions before the weekend.
(This report incorporates quotes retrieved with the assistance of artificial intelligence).
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Photo credit: Big News Network news agency
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