London, Aug. 27 (SANA) Global stock markets were broadly steady Thursday as a strong revenue outlook from Nvidia supported technology shares, while persistent inflation concerns and uncertainty over US interest rates kept wider gains in check.
The pan-European STOXX 600 slipped about 0.1%, while the MSCI All Country World Index was little changed. European technology shares rose 1.3% after Nvidia forecast roughly 70% revenue growth in the fiscal year ending January 2028.
Nvidia’s Frankfurt-listed shares climbed 6%, helping lift US stock futures, with Nasdaq futures up 0.8% and S&P 500 futures gaining 0.4%.
FTSE 100 falls despite tech gains
Britain’s FTSE 100 fell 0.5% to 10,820.66 points by 1000 GMT, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 edged down 0.04%.
Technology shares gained 1%, but declines in beverages, chemicals and real estate investment trusts, which fell between 1% and 1.6%, outweighed the advance.
Computacenter rose 4.7% after Peel Hunt upgraded the stock to “buy” from “add” and raised its price target, while Halfords jumped 12.6% after forecasting annual profit above market expectations.
Investors were also reassessing the UK interest-rate outlook, with markets not fully pricing in a quarter-point Bank of England rate increase until February 2027.
Asian markets mostly higher
Asian technology-heavy markets were mostly firmer, with MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rising 0.3% for a third consecutive session.
South Korea’s KOSPI gained 1.5% after the Bank of Korea raised its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 3%, while Taiwanese shares added 0.3%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 0.2%.
Investors remained focused on Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh’s speech at Jackson Hole on Friday for clues on the path of US interest rates after data showed inflation remained elevated.
The US 10-year Treasury yield fell 2 basis points to 4.644%, while the dollar index, which measures the US currency against six major peers, was steady at 99.14.
Gold rises, oil extends losses
Gold edged up 0.1% to around $4,598 an ounce after retreating Wednesday.
Oil prices extended their decline, with Brent crude down 1.1% at around $86.80 a barrel and on track for a fourth consecutive session of losses, as investors watched diplomatic efforts involving Qatar and Iran that could affect supply disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz.
In cryptocurrency markets, bitcoin gained 0.5% to $78,802 after briefly topping $80,000 this week for the first time in more than three months, while ether rose 0.8% to $2,493.
