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Global Markets: European Exchanges Follow Rise of US Futures Indices

On European exchanges, stock prices rose on Monday morning, following the US futures indices, which indicate a rise on Wall Street at the start of today’s trading. The STOXX 600 index of leading European stocks was up 0.5 percent at 9:30 AM. The London FTSE index strengthened by 0.42 percent to 8,296 points, while the Frankfurt DAX rose by 0.44 percent to 19,410 points, and the Paris CAC increased by 0.64 percent to 7,300 points.

Thus, European exchanges are following the rise of US futures indices, which are currently up about 0.5 percent, indicating a rise in stock prices at the start of today’s trading on Wall Street. US investors were encouraged by Trump’s decision to nominate investor Scott Bessent as the new Secretary of the Treasury, who worked for renowned investor George Soros and later founded his own hedge fund, Key Square Group. Analysts expect Bessent to be market-friendly, favoring tax cuts and deregulation in certain sectors.

On most Asian exchanges, stock prices rose on Monday, while Chinese markets remain under pressure due to fears that newly elected US President Donald Trump will increase tariffs on imports of Chinese goods.

The MSCI Asia-Pacific index was up about 1 percent at 7:00 AM.

Meanwhile, on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the Nikkei index jumped 1.5 percent, while stock prices in Australia and South Korea rose between 0.3 and 1.3 percent. In Shanghai and Hong Kong, however, they fell by about 0.4 percent.

Chinese exchanges remain under pressure due to investor fears that newly elected US President Donald Trump will increase tariffs on imports of Chinese goods.

Additionally, a series of recent data shows that the Chinese economy continues to grow slowly, leading investors to fear that recently introduced stimulus measures will not support growth as much as initially expected.

Other exchanges in the region are following the rise of US futures indices, which are currently up about 0.5 percent, indicating a rise in stock prices at the start of today’s trading on Wall Street.

US investors were encouraged by Trump’s decision to nominate investor Scott Bessent as the new Secretary of the Treasury, who worked for renowned investor George Soros and later founded his own hedge fund, Key Square Group.

Analysts expect Bessent to be market-friendly, favoring tax cuts and deregulation in certain sectors.

Dollar Weakens, Oil Prices Fall

On the currency markets, the value of the dollar against a basket of currencies fell after reaching a two-year high last week.

The dollar index, which shows the value of the US dollar against the other six major world currencies, is around 106.95 points this morning, down from 107.49 points on Friday evening.

The dollar’s exchange rate against the Japanese currency slid from 154.75 to 154.10 yen.

The US currency also weakened against the European currency by 0.5 percent, bringing the euro price to 1.0480 dollars, moving away from the lowest levels in two years.

Oil prices, on the other hand, fell after rising about 6 percent last week. The price of a barrel on the London market slipped 0.68 percent to 74.70 dollars, while on the US market, a barrel decreased by 0.69 percent to 70.75 dollars.