Cloud Giants Boost Markets: Futures Rise, Historic Surge in Korea

Trading review: current reports, trends, indices, stock prices, bonds, foreign exchange and commodities, and analyst recommendations. 14:30.

Futures in New York point to a green opening and a recovery trend, following volatile days recorded this week in the markets. Optimism is led by technology giants: Nasdaq futures are rising by about 1.3% and the S&P 500 is adding about 0.5%, mainly thanks to strong financial reports from Amazon, which is jumping by 12% thanks to strong growth in its cloud arm. This follows the 16% jump that Microsoft recorded after strong results in the cloud and AI sector, which ignited a broad rally in chip stocks.

On the other hand, Apple stock is falling by about 7% in pre-market trading due to a weak forecast for the next quarter caused by supply constraints. Also standing out negatively, Novo Nordisk stock is plummeting by 9% after a trial for heart drugs failed. At the same time, investors are examining steps forward following the Federal Reserve's decision to leave the interest rate unchanged, which brought the yield on 30-year bonds to a record level of 5.2%.

Exchanges on the continent are trading in a positive trend, with the European Stoxx 600 index rising by about 0.6%. The British FTSE index stands out in particular after it recorded an all-time high led by the technology fund Polar Capital and bank stocks. On the Paris Stock Exchange, the CAC index leads the gains among the major indices with a jump of 0.8%. In Frankfurt, the German DAX index records an increase of 0.6%. The European defense sector is attracting interest and is trading in the green against the backdrop of a sharp increase in government order backlogs, led by the Italian company Leonardo, which is jumping by about 3.5% after raising its annual profit forecast. In the energy sector, BP is adding about 1% after announcing its intention to sell its assets in the North Sea. Conversely, Universal Music stock plummeted by over 23% in Amsterdam following weaker-than-expected subscription revenue results.

A powerful positive trend was recorded today on Asian stock exchanges. The gains were led by South Korea, where the KOSPI index recorded the best trading day in its history with a jump of 17.9% to 6,595.45 points. The surge in Korea was led by chip giants SK Hynix (+25%) and Samsung (+20%). At the same time, the Nikkei index in Tokyo climbed by 4.03%, while the Taiex index in Taiwan recorded an 8% jump. In China, a mixed trend was recorded: the CSI 300 index rose by 0.85% despite disappointing PMI data (49.2 points), while the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong closed without significant change.

The commodities market presents a mixed picture today. Energy prices are recording increases, with WTI crude oil adding 1.58% to 84.91 dollars per barrel, while Brent crude oil is rising by 1.31% to 90.20 dollars. Gold weakened by 1.21% to 4,110.30 dollars per ounce, while Bitcoin is losing 1.51% of its value, trading around 63,785.56 dollars.