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(Sharecast News) - European shares retreated from early gains after the Stoxx 600 index hit yet another intra-day high in the morning session.
The benchmark index hit a record 612.46, before flatlining at 610 by 1205 GMT. Other bourses were mixed with Germany's DAX down 0.41% and the UK's FTSE 100 hitting an intra-day peak of 10, 171.
In economic news, China's trade surplus with the rest of the world reached a record $1.2trn in 2025 as exports to the European Union and Southeast Asia surged in response to higher tariffs in the US.
In dollar terms, the world's second-largest economy reported a trade balance of $1.189trn last year, up from 2024's record of $993bn.
Exports jumped 5.5% over the year to $3.77trn, as a 20% drop in exports to the US was made up by significant increases in trade with countries in Africa (where exports rose 25.8%), the ASEAN region (up 13.4%) and the EU (exports up 8.4%).
Trade figures for December released on Wednesday showed that the surplus rose to a seven-month high of $114.1bn as year-on-year export growth picked up to 6.6% from 5.9%, smashing the 3.0% consensus estimate. Imports also beat estimates in December, rising 5.7% year-on-year.
This was the seventh month in 2025 that saw the surplus top the $100bn mark.
Investors were also keeping an eye on US responses to the killing of anti-regime protestors in Iran, with President Donald Trump warning of "very strong action" if the country's Islamic rulers executed any of those arrested.
On a separate front, talks were set to take place between American Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Greenlandic and Danish officials over Trump's repeated threats to annexe the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
In equity news, Orion shares surged by more than 10% as the Finnish drug company said sales of its Nubeqa prostate cancer drug could top $1bn.
BP shares fell as the energy major said it would book up to $5bn in impairments in the fourth quarter with oil and gas production expected to be flat.
Energy firms RWE and SSE both rose after both won guaranteed electricity price contracts in the UK's latest offshore wind power auction.
Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com
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