Stock market today: Global shares up ahead of U.S. GDP update
CTV
Global shares were mostly higher Thursday ahead of the release of data that are expected to show the world's biggest economy slowing in the first quarter of the year.
Global shares were mostly higher Thursday ahead of the release of data that are expected to show the world's biggest economy slowing in the first quarter of the year.
Shares rose in Paris, Frankfurt, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai but fell in London and Sydney. U.S. futures and oil prices were higher.
The U.S. economy stood firm last year but is expected to weaken and slip into a recession in coming months. Worries over the impact of higher interest rates aimed at vanquishing high inflation are detracting from relatively strong earnings reports for many companies.
However there are signs of resilience in the world economy: The German government doubled its growth forecast this year for Europe's largest economy after the country made it through the winter without major energy problems.
In early trading Thursday, France's CAC 40 added 0.4% to 7,496.69, while Germany's DAX edged up 0.1% to 15,814.15. Britain's FTSE 100 was at 7,844.87, down 0.1%. The future for the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.3% and the contract for the S&P 500 future was 0.5% higher.
In Asian trading, Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 recouped morning losses to add 0.2%, finishing at 28,457.68.
The Bank of Japan began a two-day monetary policy meeting under its new governor, Kazuo Ueda. No immediate change is expected to the nation's super-easy monetary policy.
Stock prices, bond yields and bitcoin surged Wednesday as voters returned former U.S. president Donald Trump to the White House and the Republican party gained control of the Senate.
Employers at British Columbia ports say they are going ahead with locking out more than 700 foremen across the province after strike activities from union members began.
Warren Buffett is collecting a steady stream of profits from all of Berkshire Hathaway's assorted businesses, including Apple, without any major acquisitions.
Dockworkers at the Port of Montreal started a new strike Thursday morning, forcing the indefinite shutdown of two container terminals at the country's second biggest port.