World shares are mixed in the final stretch of 2025

Shares opened mixed in Europe on Tuesday after slipping in Asia as some regional markets wrapped up trading for the year.

Crude oil prices edged higher and gold and silver resumed their ascent. US futures were flat.

In Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi rang out the final session for 2025 in a traditional year-end ceremony.

“By realising a Japanese economy that earns the trust of investors around the world, we will create a virtuous cycle in which global capital flows into Japan,” Takaichi said.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 shed 0.4 per cent to 50,339.48, its first year-end close above 50,000. It ended 2025 up nearly 25 per cent.

With just two trading days left before the year ends, most big investors have closed out their positions and volume has been thin. Most global markets will be closed on Thursday, New Year’s Day, and some will also be closed on Wednesday and Friday.

In early European trading, Germany’s DAX was nearly unchanged at 24,348.38. Britain’s FTSE 100 edged up 0.1 per cent to 9,876.73, while the CAC 40 in Paris had barely budged at 8,112.37.

Elsewhere in Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index climbed 0.9 per cent to 25,854.60, while the Shanghai Composite index was virtually unchanged at 3,965.51.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 edged 0.1 per cent lower to 8,717.10.

South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.2 per cent to 4,214.17, while Taiwan’s Taiex lost 0.4 per cent.

India’s Sensex was down less than 0.1 per cent.

On Monday, stocks slipped in quiet trading on Wall Street. The S&P 500 fell 0.3 per cent. It’s still up more than 17 per cent for the year and it remains on track for its eighth monthly gain in a row.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.5 per cent, while the Nasdaq composite fell 0.5 per cent.

Big technology stocks with outsized valuations were among the heaviest weights on the market. Nvidia and several other companies focusing on AI or benefiting heavily from the developing technology have become some of the most valuable in the world.

Nvidia fell 1.2 per cent and Broadcom fell 0.8 per cent.

Tech shares have wobbled recently as investors have grown sceptical over whether the eventual pay-off will justify hefty investments in artificial intelligence.

The price of gold gained 0.7 per cent early Tuesday after falling 4.6 per cent the day before. It’s up about 64 per cent for the year.

Silver prices gained 4.4 per cent after slumping 8.7 per cent on Monday. They have more than doubled in 2025.

The precious metals fell back on Monday when the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, one of the largest trading floors for commodities, asked traders to put up more cash to make bets on precious metals.

Treasury yields fell in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.11 per cent from 4.13 per cent late Friday.

Treasury yields have fallen significantly from the start of the year, after the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark rate to help counter a slowing jobs market. That risks heating up inflation that is already stubbornly above the central bank’s target rate of 2.0 per cent. Interest rate cuts could boost the economy by making loans less expensive, but that benefit could be nullified by rising inflation stunting economic growth.

In other dealings early Tuesday, US crude oil gained 14 cents to US$58.22 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, picked up 12 cents to US$61.61 per barrel.

The US dollar slipped to 156.00 Japanese yen from 156.05 yen. The euro fell to US$1.1769 from US$1.1774.

AP