British News Agency

According to analysts, the UK’s FTSE Index will open up 0.11%, Germany’s DAX Index up 0.16%, France’s CAC 40 Index up 0.14%, and Italy’s FTSE MIB Index up 0.18%.

The expectation of a positive regional market opening follows the recovery of major U.S. indices during Tuesday’s session and the generally upward movement in Asia-Pacific markets overnight. This gain came after some losses earlier in the week.

Wall Street’s gains on Tuesday were driven by rising tech stocks such as Nvidia and a rebound in Bitcoin — a day after the flagship cryptocurrency experienced its worst day since March.

Investors are evaluating the possibility of a year-end rally, as December has historically been positive for U.S. equities, while November was relatively weak due to profit-taking that pulled down valuations of strong performers.

U.S. investors also remain optimistic about corporate earnings and are awaiting the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision on December 10.

Analysts say markets are pricing an approximately 89% probability of a rate cut at the upcoming meeting — significantly higher than mid-November levels.

In Europe, a new earnings report is expected from Inditex. On the data front, European Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) figures will be released.

Following Wall Street’s tech-led recovery and the rise in cryptocurrencies, Asia-Pacific markets showed mixed performance on Wednesday.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index rose 1.13%, supported by technology and real estate shares. Tech giant SoftBank gained more than 5%, Tokyo Electron rose 4.44%, Lasertec gained 6.21%, and Renesas Electronics rose more than 7%. Advantest also climbed nearly 5%.

Meanwhile, the broader Topix Index saw a slight decline. South Korea’s Kospi Index increased 1.06%, while the small-cap Kosdaq Index reversed gains and fell 0.14%.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index rose 0.11% after the country’s weaker-than-expected third-quarter GDP report. GDP grew 2.1% year-on-year — the strongest since the third quarter of 2023 — but below economists’ expectations of 2.2%.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index opened 0.95% lower, while mainland China’s CSI 300 Index traded flat.