Wall Street and major global equity markets began 2026 on an upbeat note on Friday, buoyed by optimism around artificial intelligence-led growth and strong gains in technology stocks, AP reported.In early trade, the S&P 500 rose 0.4 per cent, extending gains after closing 2025 with a rise of more than 16 per cent. The Nasdaq composite climbed 1 per cent, driven by advances in big technology names, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 60 points, or 0.1 per cent.Buying interest remained strong in AI-linked stocks, with Nvidia and Google-parent Alphabet rising more than 2 per cent each, amid expectations that expanding use of artificial intelligence will boost demand for chips, data centres and related infrastructure. US Treasury yields were largely steady.Global markets also opened the year on a strong footing. In Europe, London’s FTSE 100 jumped 1 per cent to an intraday record of 10,033.94, crossing the 10,000-mark for the first time. Germany’s DAX rose 0.5 per cent to 24,619.41, while France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.8 per cent to 8,213.59.The rally in London was supported by sharp gains in precious metals miners, including Fresnillo, which surged 5.7 per cent, and Anglo American, up 1.5 per cent, tracking strength in gold, silver and copper prices.“Exports from most countries have surged in recent months, and we think the near-term outlook for Asia’s export-oriented manufacturing sectors remains favorable,” Shivaan Tandon of Capital Economics said in a report, AP quoted. Asian markets were mixed to positive. South Korea’s Kospi surged 2.3 per cent to 4,309.63, led by a 7.2 per cent jump in Samsung Electronics, while SK Hynix gained 4 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rallied 2.8 per cent to 26,338.47, driven by tech stocks, with Alibaba rising 4.3 per cent and Baidu jumping 9.4 per cent after announcing plans to spin off its AI chip unit.Markets in Tokyo, Shanghai, Thailand and New Zealand were closed, while Australia’s ASX 200 edged up 0.2 per cent. India’s Sensex added 0.6 per cent, and Taiwan’s Taiex gained 1.3 per cent.US stock futures earlier signalled a positive open, with S&P 500 futures up 0.6 per cent and Dow futures higher by 0.2 per cent.Wall Street ended 2025 with strong annual gains despite a weak finish, with the S&P 500 rising 16.4 per cent for the year, the Nasdaq up 20.4 per cent and the Dow gaining 13 per cent, supported by enthusiasm around AI, solid corporate earnings and multiple interest rate cuts by the US Federal Reserve.In commodities, silver rose 4.8 per cent after sharp volatility earlier in the week, while gold gained 1.4 per cent. US benchmark crude slipped 12 cents to $57.30 per barrel, and Brent crude eased 13 cents to $60.72 per barrel.In currency markets, the US dollar strengthened to 156.85 yen, while the euro slipped to $1.1733.
