Markets today: Global stocks rise as oil prices surge after Trump orders a blockade of tankers to Venezuela
12/17/25 05:29
Before the Bell: What every Canadian investor needs to know today
– S.R. Slobodian
Global stocks climbed as markets continued to assess U.S. economic data for interest rate policy direction, while a surprise drop in British inflation propelled U.K. stocks amid rate-cut hopes.
Wall Street futures were in positive territory after a mixed close yesterday.
TSX futures followed sentiment higher as oil prices jumped.
On Wall Street, markets are watching earnings from Micron Technology Inc. and General Mills Inc.
“The [U.S. jobs] data was weak, but not weak enough to convince investors to materially change their [U.S. Federal Reserve] bets or meaningfully increase risk exposure,” Ipek Ozkardeskaya, senior analyst at Swissquote, wrote in a note.
“Attention now turns to Thursday’s U.S. inflation data, the final major input into the Fed’s year-end calculus. Slower inflation would give the Fed more room to manoeuvre. Until then, market conviction is likely to remain contained.”
Overseas, the pan-European STOXX 600 was up 0.43 per cent in morning trading. Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 1.67 per cent, Germany’s DAX advanced 0.16 per cent and France’s CAC 40 edged up 0.05 per cent.
In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei closed 0.26 per cent higher, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.92 per cent.
12/17/25 05:12
Global stocks gain, while oil prices jump as Trump orders a blockade of oil tankers to Venezuela
– The Associated Press
Shares advanced Wednesday in Europe and Asia as strong buying of technology shares helped lift some benchmarks, while the price of U.S. crude briefly surged more than 2 per cent after President Donald Trump ordered a blockade of all “sanctioned oil tankers” into Venezuela.
Trump’s move followed the seizure by U.S. forces last week of an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast, an unusual move that followed a buildup of military forces in the region as his administration ramps up pressure on the country’s authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro.
The future for the S&P 500 edged 0.1 per cent higher and that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average was virtually unchanged.
In Germany, the DAX added 0.3 per cent to 24,138.73, while the CAC 40 in Paris was up 0.1 per cent to 8,115.18. Britain’s FTSE 100 surged 1.4 per cent to 9,817.65.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 gained 0.3 per cent to 49,512.28 as traders awaited a decision on an interest rate hike by the Bank of Japan later in the week.
Adding to expectations for a rate hike, Japan reported its exports rose 6 per cent in November from a year earlier, as shipments to the U.S. rose for the first time since March. A trade deal with the Trump administration that set tariffs on imports from Japan at a baseline rate of 15 per cent, down from the initial plan for a 25 per cent helped boost exports of cars and chemicals, among other key manufactured goods.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng climbed 0.9 per cent to 25,468.78, while the Shanghai Composite index jumped 1.2 per cent to 3,870.28.
12/17/25 04:30
Tuesday markets recap: TSX falls to one-week low as oil prices slide
– Reuters, Globe staff
Pumpjacks near Halkirk, Alta. The Toronto market’s energy sector lost 3.7 per cent on Tuesday.Larry MacDougal/The Canadian Press
Canada’s main stock index fell for the third straight session on Tuesday as energy stocks followed oil prices lower and investors locked in profits heading toward the end of the year.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index ended down 219.51 points, or 0.7 per cent, at 31,263.93, its lowest closing level since last Tuesday.
The Toronto market’s energy sector lost 3.7 per cent as oil settled 2.7 per cent lower at US$55.27 a barrel. Prospects of a Russia-Ukraine peace deal appeared to strengthen, raising expectations that sanctions could be eased.
Technology was down 0.9 per cent and the materials group, which includes metal mining shares, ended 0.6 per cent lower.
Health care was among the sectors that notched gains, rising 6.7 per cent, as the potential for a U.S. executive order that would reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug boosted cannabis stocks. Curaleaf Holdings Inc. CURA-T shares jumped 23.4 per cent to their highest closing level since May, 2024.
NFI Group Inc. NFI-T was another standout. It climbed 12.3 per cent after the bus and coach manufacturer announced a battery recall agreement with XALT Energy.
On Wall Street, the Nasdaq recovered to close higher while the S&P 500 and the Dow closed lower, impacted by declines in health care and energy stocks.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 302.30 points, or 0.62 per cent, to 48,114.26, the S&P 500 lost 16.25 points, or 0.24 per cent, to 6,800.26 and the Nasdaq Composite gained 54.05 points, or 0.23 per cent, to 23,111.46.
