Hong Kong, Jan 15: World shares were mixed Thursday and US futures gained after Wall Street retreated, dragged down by falls in Big Tech stocks.
Oil prices fell nearly $3 a barrel after US President Donald Trump said he was told “on good authority” that plans for executions in Iran have stopped, even as Tehran signalled fast trials and executions ahead in its crackdown on protesters.
US benchmark crude fell $2.73, or 4.5%, to $59.13 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, shed $2.94, or 4.4%, to $63.58 per barrel.
The future for the S&P 500 gained 0.3% on Thursday, while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up less than 0.1%.
In European trading, France’s CAC 40 dropped 0.4% in early trading to 8,296.41. Germany’s DAX was nearly unchanged at 25,291.73. Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.5% to 10,233.35.
In Asia, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 slipped 0.4% to 54,110.50, with technology-related stocks trading lower. SoftBank Group fell 4.9%, while testing equipment maker Advantest fell 2.5%.
But shares in retailer Ryohin Keikaku, or Muji, jumped nearly 12% after it reported stronger-than-expected earnings.
Shares of machinery and equipment maker Toyota Industries rose 6.2% following reports that automaker Toyota Motor has raised its buyout offer for the company to 18,800 yen ($118.61) per share.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped 0.3% to 26,923.62. Hong Kong-listed shares of Chinese online travel platform Trip.com sank 19% after Beijing said it had opened an antitrust investigation into the group. The Shanghai Composite index fell 0.3%, to 4,112.60 after Chinese regulators raised minimum margin requirements for investors.
South Korea’s Kospi gained 1.6% to 4,797.55.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 climbed 0.5% to 8,861.70.
Taiwan’s Taiex fell 0.4%. Shares of Taiwan’s leading chip maker TSMC fell 1.2%, even after it announced better-than-expected quarterly profit and revenue. The company said it plans to increase its capital spending this year.
TSMC said it expects to increase its capital spending by nearly 40% this year as it works to keep up with surging demand due to the expanding use of AI.
On Wednesday, the S&P 500 dipped 0.5% for its second straight loss. The Dow slipped 0.1% and the Nasdaq composite shed 1%.
Big Tech stocks were among those weighing on performance — even as the majority of stocks on Wall Street rose — in part as investors dialled back from the artificial intelligence frenzy and as some critics warned their stocks had become overvalued.
In other dealings early Thursday, the US dollar fell to 158.42 Japanese yen from 158.46 yen.
The euro fell to $1.1639 from $1.1645. (AP)
