No recommendation
No news or research item is a personal recommendation to deal. Hargreaves Lansdown may not share ShareCast's (powered by Digital Look) views.
Market latest
FTSE 100 | FTSE 250 | Paris CAC 40 | Dow Jones | NASDAQ
10164.35 |
27.00 (0.27%)
22836.75 |
95.22 (0.42%)
49191.99 |
398.21 (0.80%)
23709.87 |
24.03 (0.10%)
8362.19 |
14.99 (0.18%)
NaN |
0.00 (0.00%)
Prices delayed by at least 15 minutes
(Sharecast News) - European shares jumped again at the open after China reported a record trade surplus, pushing the Stoxx 600 index to yet another intra-day high.
The benchmark index hit a record 61246, a gain of 0.28%, at 0812 GMT. All other bourses were higher, with the UK's FTSE 100 hitting an intra-day peak of 10, 171.
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.
Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com
The value of investments can go down in value as well as up, so you could get back less than you invest. It is therefore important that you understand the risks and commitments. This website is not personal advice based on your circumstances. So you can make informed decisions for yourself we aim to provide you with the best information, best service and best prices. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment please contact us for advice.