- France's Amandine Henry retires from international football
- Centre-left set to win pro-Ukraine Lithuania's vote
- India's World Cup hopes in Pakistan hands after Australia defeat
- Zelensky says NKorea sending troops to Russian army
- England beat Finland to get back on track
- King and Lewis propel West Indies to T20 triumph over Sri Lanka
- Pre-Halloween 'Terrifier' lands atop North America box office
- 'I still plan to compete and play next season,' says Djokovic
- Harris, Trump seek advantage in knife-edge election battle
- Chepngetich shatters women's marathon world record in Chicago
- Kamindu and Asalanka power Sri Lanka to 179 against West Indies
- Chepngetich shatters women's marathon world record as Korir wins in Chicago
- Spain send injured Yamal home 'to prioritise player's health'
- In milestone, SpaceX 'catches' megarocket booster after test flight
- Iraq walks fine line with pro-Iran factions to avoid war
- Race four abandoned after New Zealand breeze into 3-0 lead in America's Cup
- West Indies win toss, put Sri Lanka in to bat in first T20
- Sudan rescuers say air strike killed 23 in Khartoum market
- Netanyahu tells UN to move Lebanon peacekeepers out of 'harm's way'
- Bangladeshi Hindus defy attack worries to celebrate festival
- Kiwis three up in America's Cup as Ineos pay for time penalty
- In a first, SpaceX 'catches' megarocket booster after test flight
- Dominant England crush Scotland at Women's T20 World Cup
- Dropped: The rise and fall of Pakistan batting maestro Babar Azam
- Israel fights Hezbollah on the ground, pounds Lebanon from the air
- Sabalenka outlasts local hero Zheng to win third Wuhan Open title
- Bangladeshi Hindus shrug off attack worries to celebrate festival
- Former Pakistan captain Azam dropped for second England Test
- 'Opportunist' Dupont dazzles on Toulouse return
- Australia replace injured Vlaeminck with Graham at Women's T20 World Cup
- Sinner wins Shanghai Masters to deny Djokovic 100th career title
- Ubisoft fears assassin's hit over falling sales
- Israel hits Lebanon from the air and fights Hezbollah on the ground
- China's Yin has 'goosebumps' as she romps to LPGA win in Shanghai
- Pakistan to re-use Multan pitch for second England Test
- Blair and King Charles hail Salmond's 'devotion' to Scotland
- Vietnam, China hold talks on calming South China Sea tensions
- SpaceX will try to 'catch' giant Starship rocket shortly before landing
- England captain Stokes in line for second Pakistan Test return
- Japan's former empress Michiko discharged after surgery: reports
- Japan's former empress Michiko discharged after surgey: reports
- Israel widens Lebanon strikes as troops fight Hezbollah along border
- Bowlers' graveyards: Pakistan's placid pitches under fresh fire
- 'Little Gregory' murder haunts France 40 years on
- Vietnam, China to expand rail links, cross-border payments
- Americans get their belief back as Pochettino makes his mark
- Vietnam, China to boost economic, defence cooperation
- Winning start for Pochettino's American adventure
- Tariffs, tax cuts, energy: What is in Trump's economic plan?
- Amazon wants to be everything to everyone
Stock markets close out record-breaking year with gains
Stock markets mostly rose Friday, the final trading day of a year which saw major indices hit record highs as inflation cooled.
Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei index surged more than 28 percent in 2023, its best performance for a decade.
In Europe, Frankfurt was on course to register a yearly gain of above 20 percent and Paris nearly 17 percent, having recently hit record heights.
London, however, stumbled in 2023, rising less than four percent.
Its FTSE 100 index, which shut early Friday, has "moved largely sideways for the year, thanks in large part to extreme uncertainty and the upwards march of interest rates" in the UK, noted Sophie Lund-Yates, lead equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.
"Questions now of course turn to next year's trajectory, and there's every chance (British) inflation is going to remain stubbornly above the Bank of England's target."
Analysts are expecting the BoE to begin cutting interest rates later in 2024 than in the United States and Europe, where inflation has cooled at a faster pace.
With US rate cuts seemingly not far away, the dollar was on course to record its weakest year since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic at the start of the decade.
Meanwhile, Chinese stocks have been weighed down by concerns regarding the country's sluggish economic recovery from its long-lasting and strict pandemic lockdowns.
Still, there was positive news in the Chinese tech sector on Friday, with Huawei saying it expected 2023 revenue to grow by nine percent, despite facing continuing US sanctions.
In Japan, the Nikkei powered higher this year as "Warren Buffett's comments triggered a reappraisal of Japanese equities", said Masayuki Doshida, senior market analyst at Rakuten Securities.
Buffett told local media in April that he intended to buy additional Japanese stocks, with his Berkshire Hathaway then acquiring shares in five major Japanese trading firms.
"The Nikkei index regained its upward momentum on the back of expectations for structural reforms in domestic companies, a boost to the economy from inbound tourism and the outlook for continued monetary easing policy," Doshida added.
The Bank of Japan has avoided hiking interest rates despite high global inflation, in sharp contrast to other major central banks.
In the US, the Dow index on Thursday eked out a fresh record, while the S&P 500 fell a bit short of an all-time high despite finishing the day with modest gains.
US equities have trended higher since late October as the market has embraced moderating inflation and a strong labour market in the belief the US economy can avoid recession.
Data from the US Department of Labor on Thursday showed a slight increase in unemployment claims. The level remains low by historic standards, however.
Global oil prices rose Friday amid disruptions to Red Sea shipping.
Yet, "crude oil is set for its biggest yearly decline since 2020", said Swissquote Bank senior analyst Ipek Ozkardeskaya.
"OPEC's efforts to curb production and the rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East remained surprisingly inefficient to boost appetite in oil this year."
The year also saw gold hit record heights, with the precious metal profiting from its status as a haven investment in times of economic and geopolitical unrest.
- Key figures around 1230 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.1 percent at 7,733.24 points (close)
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.4 percent at 7,563.38
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.3 percent at 16,753.33
EURO STOXX 50: UP 0.4 percent at 4,533.00
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.2 percent at 33,464.17 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: FLAT at 17,047.39 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.7 percent at 2,974.93 (close)
New York - Dow: UP 0.1 percent at 37,710.10 (close)
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1080 from $1.1066 on Thursday
Dollar/yen: UP at 141.43 yen from 141.41 yen
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2748 from $1.2728
Euro/pound: UP at 86.94 pence from 86.92 pence
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.3 percent at $71.95 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.6 percent at $77.59 per barrel
L.Davis--AMWN