ASIA/PACIFIC
-The Australian stock market has fallen from Tuesday’s record, with property stocks weighing on the bourse and the big four banks all dropping.
-South Korean markets fell as pressure mounted on President Yoon Suk Yeol to step down after he imposed and then lifted a martial law decree within hours.
-Other Asian markets were trading lower as investors digested events in South Korea.
. EUROPE
-European stock markets closed higher as investors braced for a no-confidence vote in France’s National Assembly.
-The Eurozone Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) Composite Output Index came in at 48.3 in November, moving into contraction territory and hitting a 10-month low, according to S&P Global and Hamburg Commercial Bank (HCOB).
-Ministers must do more to stop the “exodus” of cash from the London Stock exchange after 41 consecutive months of outflows from UK equity funds, Steven Fine CEO of investment bank Peel Hunt told City AM.
. AMERICAS
North America
– US stock indices closed higher as optimism about the outlook for interest rates contributed to the strength on Wall Street following the release of some weaker than expected U.S. economic data.
Latin America
-Buenos Aires to sell bonds for buyback: Argentina’s capital city aims to repurchase a portion of its 2027 notes with the proceeds, Latin Finance reported.
-US financial services group Citi separates its consumer and institutional banking businesses in Mexico as it prepares an IPO for the former.
. AFRICA
-Egypt is planning to offer stakes in Port Said Container and Cargo Handling Company (PSCCHC) and Damietta Container and Cargo Handling Company (DCHC) through initial public offerings (IPOs) on the Egyptian Exchange (EGX), Al Mal News reported citing anonymous sources.
-Nigerian stocks ended November in red, first time since 2018, snapping a 5-year winning streak Nairametrics reported.
-Morocco will start futures contracts tracking MASI 20 index, which tracks the top 20 firms by market capitalisation, the North African country’s bourse regulator said.
. MIDDLE EAST
– Major Gulf stock indices ended higher ahead of U.S. jobs data and comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for clues on the U.S. central bank’s policy outlook.
-Kuwait equity markets were positive for November driven by banking, basic materials and consumer discretionary sectors, despite geopolitical uncertainty, according to Kuwait Financial Centre “Markaz” Monthly Market Review report.
-The GCC economies are projected to grow at around 4% per annum over the next five years, more than double the GDP growth rate of advanced economies, Zawya reported citing State Street Global Advisors.
. COMMODITIES
GOLD
Spot gold held its ground at $2,644.42 per ounce, as of 0203 GMT while U.S. gold futures eased 0.1% to $2,666.40 with all eyes on U.S. jobs data and comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
SILVER-PLATINUM-PALLADIUM
Spot silver rose 0.1% to $31.06 per ounce, platinum dropped 0.2% to $951.90 and palladium shed 0.3% to $968.89.
OIL
Brent crude futures fell 2 cents, or 0.03%, to $73.60 a barrel by 0145 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures eased 3 cents, or 0.04%, to $69.91, as markets weigh higher U.S. stockpiles, OPEC+ supply plans.
