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Investing.com - Asian stocks continued to rise in afternoon trade on Thursday. Hong Kong-listed Tencent Holdings Ltd (HK:0700) took centre stage after the Cyberspace Administration of China accused the company’s popular news app “Tian Tian Kuai Bao” of spreading vulgar information.

Tencent has been ordered to overhaul its operations, the watchdog said in a notice on Wednesday evening. The company’s shares were down 1.4% at HK$329.2 by 1:25 AM ET (6:25 GMT).

The Chinese internet giant was already under pressure earlier this week after its games were once again absent from a list of new titles to be approved by Chinese regulators.

The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television ended a 10-month-long halt on video-games approvals in December, giving the green light to a total of 260 games. Tencent has yet to have any of its titles approved so far.

Meanwhile, Chinese stocks gained about half a per cent after Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan said the country’s economic growth “will continue and will be sustainable.”

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday, Wang said that “there will be a lot of uncertainties in 2019, but something that is certain is that China’s economy, China’s growth, will continue and will be sustainable.”

His comments came after China reported on Monday that the growth in its fourth-quarter GDP slowed to 6.4% from the previous quarter’s 6.5%, leaving 2018 growth the weakest in 28 years.

Wang added that the Chinese government is trying to remind people that the “quality, structure and efficiency” of the economic development is “what really matters.”

The Shanghai Composite and the Shenzhen Component traded 0.4% and 0.8% higher following Wang’s speech. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index edged up 0.3%.

Separately, while not a directional driver, Reuters reported on Thursday that China’s top leaders formally approved the launch of a new high-tech board at the Shanghai Stock Exchange. The establishment of the board was previously announced at the China International Import Expo last year.

The new board would feature a new IPO registration system as China pushes forward reform in the country’s listing and trading procedures. Under the current approval-based IPO system, it could take months and even years for firms to be listed on Chinese exchanges, according to the state-run Xinhua.

The draft rules for the new trading venue could come later in January the soonest, the report said.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s KOSPI rose 0.7% after the country’s central bank kept its key interest rate unchanged as expected.

State-run media Korean Central News Agency reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un praised U.S. President Donald Trump’s “unusual determination and will for the settlement of the issue” on Wednesday. Kim also ordered “technical preparations” for the next meeting between the two leaders, according to the media.

“Kim Jong Un said that we will believe in the positive way of thinking of President Trump, wait with patience and in good faith and, together with the U.S., advance step by step toward the goal to be reached by the two countries,” the report said.

Elsewhere, Japan’s Nikkei 225 underperformed its regional peers and traded 0.3% lower in afternoon trade.

Down under, Australia’s ASX 200 was up 0.4%. The Australian dollar traded lower on Thursday after one of the Australian top four big national banks, the National Australia Bank (NAB), raised the home loan rates today.

In a statement, the bank said it would increase its standard variable mortgage rate for owner-occupier principal and interest (P&I) customers by 12 basis points to 5.36%.

The news sent the Aussie dollar lower as a rate hike is bad news on the country’s indebted households.

The Australian currency received some support earlier in the day after data showed its economy added 21.6k jobs in December, beating the estimate of 18.0k.

Investing.com – Taiwan stocks were higher after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Biotech&Medical Care, Semiconductor and Transport sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Taiwan, the Taiwan Weighted added 0.31%.

The best performers of the session on the Taiwan Weighted were Swancor Holding Co Ltd (TW:3708), which rose 10.00% or 7.00 points to trade at 77.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Green Energy Technology Inc (TW:3519) added 9.98% or 0.50 points to end at 5.51 and Casetek Holdings Ltd (TW:5264) was up 9.97% or 4.35 points to 48.00 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Genesis Photonics Inc (TW:3383), which fell 5.10% or 0.10 points to trade at 1.86 at the close. Eclat Textile Co Ltd (TW:1476) declined 3.92% or 14.00 points to end at 343.00 and Universal Microelectronics Co Ltd (TW:2413) was down 3.56% or 0.90 points to 24.40.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Taiwan Stock Exchange by 444 to 321 and 147 ended unchanged.

Crude oil for March delivery was down 0.55% or 0.29 to $52.33 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in March fell 0.59% or 0.36 to hit $60.78 a barrel, while the February Gold Futures contract fell 0.31% or 3.95 to trade at $1280.05 a troy ounce.

USD/TWD was up 0.22% to 30.910, while TWD/CNY fell 0.11% to 0.2197.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.07% at 95.843.

Investing.com - Oil prices slid on Thursday in Asia as lingering concerns over global economic growth continued to affect investors’ risk appetite.

International Brent Oil Futures were at $60.87 a barrel at 1:42 AM ET (06:42 GMT), down 0.5%.

U.S. Crude Oil WTI Futures were at $52.37 per barrel, also down 0.5% from their last settlement.

On Monday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut its 2019 and 2020 global growth forecasts, citing multiple threats including a bigger-than-expected slowdown in China and the risks of a “no deal” Brexit.

That came one day after China reported that its 2018 economic growth dropped to its slowest pace in nearly three decades. The data added to concerns that a widespread economic slowdown would dent growth in demand for fuel and affect energy prices.

Meanwhile, a surprise rise in U.S. stocks also kept the market under pressure.

Crude inventories rose by 6.6 million barrels in the week ended Jan. 18 to 443.6 million, according to the American Petroleum Institute (API).

That compared with analysts' expectations for a decrease of 42,000 barrels.

Refinery runs fell by 152,000 barrels per day, the API reported.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration report on crude oil inventories is due to be released on Thursday at 11:00 AM ET.

Crude prices initially rose on Wednesday on hopes that China and Japan would resort to stimulus measures to avert a slowdown in their economies. As the day progressed, however, the market turned south on worries about U.S. oil inventories.

Investing.com - The Australian dollar fell against the U.S. dollar on Thursday in Asia after one of the Australian top 4 big national banks, the National Australia Bank (NAB), raised the home loan rates.

The bank said in a statement today that it would increase its standard variable mortgage rate for owner-occupier principal and interest (P&I) customers by 12 basis points to 5.36%.

The NAB was the only one of Australia’s Big Four banks to not lift its mortgage rates last September. The standard variable mortgage rates at the Commonwealth Bank, Westpac and ANZ currently stand at 5.37%, 5.38% and 5.36% respectively.

The news sent the Aussie dollar lower as a rate hike is bad news on the country’s indebted households. The AUD/USD pair last traded at 0.7108 by 12:13 AM ET (05:13 GMT), down 0.5%.

The Australian currency traded higher earlier in the day after data showed its economy added 21.6k jobs in December, beating the estimate of 18.0k.

Meanwhile, the U.S. dollar index was little changed at 95.792 as investors remained cautious amid the ongoing U.S. government shutdown and global economic growth concerns.

On Monday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut its 2019 and 2020 global growth forecasts, citing multiple threats including a bigger-than-expected slowdown in China and the risks of a “no deal” Brexit.

The USD/JPY pair was unchanged at 109.57 after the Bank of Japan kept its policy unchanged on Wednesday.

Elsewhere, the USD/CNY pair edged down 0.1% at 6.7859. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) has set the yuan reference rate at 6.7802 today vs the previous day's fix of 6.7969.

Investing.com - Asian stocks rose in morning trade on Thursday, with Chinese stocks gaining about half a per cent after Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan said the country’s economic growth “will continue and will be sustainable.”

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday, Wang said that “there will be a lot of uncertainties in 2019, but something that is certain is that China’s economy, China’s growth, will continue and will be sustainable.”

His comments came after China reported on Monday that the growth in its fourth-quarter GDP slowed to 6.4% from the previous quarter’s 6.5%, leaving 2018 growth the weakest in 28 years.

Wang added that the Chinese government is trying to remind people that the “quality, structure and efficiency” of the economic development is “what really matters.”

The Shanghai Composite and the Shenzhen Component traded 0.5% and 0.9% higher by 10:51 PM ET (03:51 GMT) on Thursday following Wang’s speech.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index edged up 0.2%. Tencent Holdings Ltd (HK:0700) fell 1.5% on reports that the Cyberspace Administration of China accused the company’s popular news app “Tian Tian Kuai Bao” for spreading vulgar information. Tencent has been ordered to overhaul its operations, the watchdog said in a notice.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s KOSPI rose 0.4%. State-run media Korean Central News Agency reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un praised U.S. President Donald Trump’s “unusual determination and will for the settlement of the issue” on Wednesday. Kim also ordered “technical preparations” for the next meeting between the two leaders, according to the media.

“Kim Jong Un said that we will believe in the positive way of thinking of President Trump, wait with patience and in good faith and, together with the U.S., advance step by step toward the goal to be reached by the two countries,” the report said.

Elsewhere, Japan’s Nikkei 225 underperformed its regional peers and traded 0.3% lower in morning trade.

Down under, Australia’s ASX 200 was up 0.2%.

Investing.com - Ford Motor (NYSE:F) reported fourth-quarter results that came in higher than Wall Street estimates Wednesday.

But shares were little changed as the results were in line with guidance the automaker provided last week.

Ford reported an adjusted profit of 30 cents per share on auto segment revenue of $38.7 billion.

On average, analysts predicted a profit of 28 cents per share on revenue of $38.1 billion.

The stock was flat in after-hours trading.

The company's pre-tax margin fell to 3.5% from 4.9% percent a year earlier.

In North America, Ford posted a pre-tax profit of $2 billion. In every other region, the automaker posted a loss. The largest loss of $381 million was in Asia, driven by China where the company has seen sales plummet.

On Jan. 15, Ford and Germany's Volkswagen (DE:VOWG_p) said they would join forces on commercial vans and pickups and were exploring joint development of electric and self-driving technology in a bid to save billions of dollars.

Ford previously said it remains committed to its money-losing operations in Europe and South America, and its losses in China would narrow this year.

-- Reuters contributed to this report.

Investing.com - Texas Instruments (NASDAQ:TXN) reported fourth quarter earnings that beat analysts' expectations on Wednesday, but revenue fell short of forecasts in part because of weakness in global smartphone sales.

As a result, the chip maker guided lower for the first-quarter earnings. Nonetheless investors were bidding shares slightly higher.

TI said it earned $1.26 a share on revenue of $3.72 billion. Analysts polled by Investing.com had anticipated EPS of $1.24 on revenue of $3.75 billion. That compared to EPS of $1.09 on revenue of $3.75 billion in the 2017 fourth quarter. The company had reported EPS of $1.58 on revenue of $4.26 billion in the third quarter.

The company expects first-quarter earnings of $1.01 to $1.21 a share, down from an estimate of $1.21. Revenue was projected at $3.34 billion to $3.62 billion for the period, compared with an estimate of $3.61 billion, according to Standard & Poor's Capital IQ.

Texas Instruments shares moved up 1.2% to $96.68 in after-hours trading.

TI shares and shares of other chip companies were down in regular trading Tuesday and again on Wednesday. The culprit was a Lynx Equity Strategies forecast of weaker capital expenditures and pricing pressures.

The company said its core analog chip business saw a 4% revenue gain to $2.64 billion with a 4% operating profit increase to $1.23 billion. Its embedding processing business suffered a 12% revenue decline to $791 million with operating profit falling 24% to $234 million.

The company generates about 95% of its revenue from semiconductors and digital signal processors. The other 5% of revenues comes from the company's ubiquitous calculators.

Analog semiconductors regulate functions like temperature, speed, sound, and electrical current. TI supplies touchscreen controllers, power management chips, and a control device for Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhones and iPads. The data the chips generate are used by digital semiconductors and, ultimately, transmitted over the Internet. TI has a 69% market share in the business.

Chipmakers globally have faced challenges in recent months arising from weaker demand, inventory adjustments and U.S.-China trade issues.

Apple this month cut its quarterly sales forecast due to poor iPhone demand in China, battering shares of chipmakers, including Texas Instruments. TI shares are down slightly this month.

-- Reuters contributed to this report.

Investing.com - The Dow closed higher on Wednesday as a surge in IBM and United Technologies helped offset weakness in energy.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.70%, the S&P 500 gained 0.22%, while the Nasdaq Composite added 0.08%.

Dow components IBM, United Technologies and Procter & Gamble all rallied after delivering above-consensus results, adding more than 100 points to the Dow 30 and lifting the broader market.

IBM (NYSE:IBM) was the standout performer, soaring 8.5% as its better-than-expected results were complemented by guidance that also topped estimates. Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) rose 4.9% and United Technologies (NYSE:UTX) gained 5%.

Capital One (NYSE:COF), however, bucked the trend posting fourth-quarter results that missed on the both top and bottom lines, sending its share price sliding 6%.

Still, the mostly upbeat slew of earnings firmed up the broader market, which had come under pressure following a decline in energy stocks as U.S. oil prices slipped on fears about weak oil demand growth.

The energy sector fell 1%, led by a 3% slump in oilfield services provider Baker Hughes (NYSE:BHGE) ahead of its quarterly report due next week.

Sentiment on Wall Street has also been weighed down by the partial government shutdown, which entered its fifth week, with many worried about the impact on the economy.

White House Chief Economist Kevin Hassett said in an interview with CNN on Wednesday that a weak first quarter and extended shutdown could lead to "very, very low" GDP growth.

President Donald Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi continued to exchanged barbs, souring the prospect that both would able to reach a compromise over the president's demand for $5.7 billion to build his proposed boarder wall.

Hours after Trump said he would give the State of the Union speech in the House chamber next week as planned, Pelosi said Democrats will block the address until the partial government shutdown ends.

Uncertainty over U.S.-China trade, meanwhile, also kept investors on the sidelines despite upbeat remarks from Trump.

"We'll see what happens. But we're doing very well in our negotiations with China," Trump told reporters at a White House event.

Trump's upbeat remarks on trade come a day after top White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow denied reports the U.S. had canceled a trade meeting with Chinese officials that was slated for this week.

Top S&P 500 Gainers and Losers Today:

Waters Corp . (NYSE:WAT), Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) and IBM (NYSE:IBM) were among the top S&P 500 gainers for the session.

Take-Two Interactive Software (NASDAQ:TTWO), Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF) and Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) were among the worst S&P 500 performers of the session.

Investing.com - Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) reported second quarter earnings that beat analysts' expectations on Wednesday and revenue that topped forecasts.

The firm reported earnings per share of $3.87 on revenue of $2.52B. Analysts polled by Investing.com forecast EPS of $3.66 on revenue of $2.5B. That compared to EPS of $4.34 on revenue of $2.58B in the same period a year earlier. The company had reported EPS of $3.36 on revenue of $2.33B in the previous quarter.

Lam Research shares gained 3.42% to trade at $144.09 in after-hours trade following the report.

Lam Research follows other major Capital Goods sector earnings this month

On Wednesday, United Technologies reported fourth quarter EPS of $1.95 on revenue of $18.04B, compared to forecasts of EPS of $1.55 on revenue of $16.8B.

ASML ADR earnings missed analyst's expectations on Wednesday, with fourth quarter EPS of $1.87 on revenue of $3.14B. Investing.com analysts expected EPS of $2.11 on revenue of $3.41B

Stay up-to-date on all of the upcoming earnings reports by visiting Investing.com's earnings calendar

Investing.com – Brazil stocks were higher after the close on Wednesday, as gains in the Real Estate, Financials and Public Utilities sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Sao Paulo, the Bovespa added 1.53% to hit a new all time high.

The best performers of the session on the Bovespa were Kroton Educacional SA (SA:KROT3), which rose 7.33% or 0.74 points to trade at 10.84 at the close. Meanwhile, Engie Brasil Energia SA (SA:EGIE3) added 5.42% or 2.11 points to end at 41.05 and Cia Siderurgica Nacional SA (SA:CSNA3) was up 5.41% or 0.53 points to 10.32 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Ambev SA (SA:ABEV3), which fell 2.05% or 0.36 points to trade at 17.18 at the close. Cielo SA (SA:CIEL3) declined 1.83% or 0.19 points to end at 10.21 and Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais (SA:USIM5) was down 0.41% or 0.04 points to 9.72.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the BM&FBovespa Stock Exchange by 267 to 153 and 35 ended unchanged.

Shares in Engie Brasil Energia SA (SA:EGIE3) rose to all time highs; up 5.42% or 2.11 to 41.05.

The CBOE Brazil Etf Volatility, which measures the implied volatility of Bovespa options, was down 1.44% to 32.87.

Gold Futures for February delivery was down 0.07% or 0.95 to $1282.45 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in March fell 0.64% or 0.34 to hit $52.67 a barrel, while the March US coffee C contract rose 0.19% or 0.20 to trade at $103.55 .

USD/BRL was down 1.26% to 3.7663, while EUR/BRL fell 1.03% to 4.2877.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.19% at 95.773.

Investing.com – Colombia stocks were lower after the close on Wednesday, as losses in the Industrials, Financials and Agriculture sectors led shares lower.

At the close in Colombia, the COLCAP declined 0.31%.

The best performers of the session on the COLCAP were Corporacion Financiera Colombiana SA (CN:CFV), which rose 2.41% or 400.0 points to trade at 17000.0 at the close. Meanwhile, Celsia SA (CN:CEL) added 1.75% or 70.0 points to end at 4080.0 and Cementos Argos Pf (CN:CCB_p) was up 1.35% or 80.0 points to 6010.0 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Etb (CN:ETB), which fell 2.73% or 7.0 points to trade at 249.0 at the close. Conconcret (CN:CIC) declined 2.50% or 9.0 points to end at 351.0 and Ecopetrol SA (CN:ECO) was down 2.41% or 70.0 points to 2830.0.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Colombia Stock Exchange by 15 to 12 and 2 ended unchanged.

US coffee C for March delivery was up 0.19% or 0.20 to $103.55 . Elsewhere in commodities trading, US cocoa for delivery in March fell 0.20% or 4.50 to hit $2241.50 , while the February Gold Futures contract fell 0.06% or 0.75 to trade at $1282.65 a troy ounce.

USD/COP was up 0.26% to 3152.00, while BRL/COP rose 1.30% to 837.30.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.19% at 95.773.

Investing.com -- Waters Corp ., United Technologies and Comcast jumped Wednesday after delivering impressive quarterly results.

Waters (NYSE:WAT), a specialty measurement company, beat fourth-quarter estimates on both the top and bottom lines, sending its shares 11.6% higher.

Waters reported fourth-quarter earnings of $2.87 a share on $715 million in revenue, exceeding Wall Street estimates for earnings of $2.65 a share on $704.25 million in revenue.

The company guided first-quarter earnings in the range of $1.65 to $1.75 a share, in-line with the consensus estimates of $1.73.

United Technologies (NYSE:UTX) found favor among investors after posting earnings of $1.95 on $18.04 billion in revenue, above estimates for $1.53 a share on $16.9 billion in revenue. Its shares rose 5%.

The above-consensus results were driven by "a favorable effective tax rate and better Rockwell Collins (NYSE:COL) results," the company said in a statement.

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA), meanwhile, was also rewarded for a better-than-expected quarterly results and a dividend hike. Its shares rose 4.5%.

The media company reported fourth-quarter earnings of $0.64 a share on $27.85 billion in revenue, ahead of expectations for earnings of $0.63 on $27.55 billion in revenue.

Comcast hiked its dividend by 10% to $0.84 a share.

Investing.com - One step forward, two steps back: Precious metals kept up with their trend of slight back-to-back gains and losses on Wednesday. The issue is an uncertain outlook for risk given the drag on everything from Brexit to China trade talks.

After seven-month peaks of above $1,300 an ounce for gold in early January and record highs of above $1,400 in palladium's spot price last week, both markets have entered into a range this week.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange's Comex division, the most-active gold futures contract settled up 70 cents, or 0.05%, at $1,290.20 per ounce.

The spot price of gold, or bullion, dipped $1.40, or 0.1%, to $1,283.79 by 2:33 PM ET (19:33 GMT) after trading higher earlier in the day.

Palladium futures on Comex settled up $1.70, or 0.1%, at $1,306.50 per ounce.

The spot price of palladium traded at $1,356 per ounce, up $5.80, or 0.4%. On Thursday, it hit an all-time high of $1,440.35. That makes it the world's most valuable traded metal now, although gold's previous record highs were above $1,900 an ounce.

"Worries over the partial U.S. government shutdown, Brexit and China, which should allow gold to get a bid as a safe haven, are being offset somewhat by expectations there will be no Fed rate hikes in the near term, which in turn are positive for stocks," said George Gero, precious metals analyst at RBC Wealth Management in New York.

The dollar index, a contrarian trade to gold, slipped by 0.2% to 95.76.

In other precious metals on Comex, silver futures rose by 4.8 cents, or 0.3%, to $15.37 per ounce.

Platinum futures rose by $5.70, or 0.7%, to $796.90 per ounce.

In base metals,copper fell 0.5 cent, or 0.2%, to $2.68 per lb.

Investing.com – The U.S. dollar was under pressure Wednesday against a basket of major currencies following a sharp rise in the pound on fading worries the U.K. will leave the European Union without a trade deal.

The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, fell 0.23% to 96.09.

Labour, the main opposition party in the U.K., raised investor hopes that a no-deal Brexit would be averted after it signaled it would back a cross-party proposal seeking to extend the deadline by which the UK is required to leave the EU, should the government fail win support for a withdrawal deal.

The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, told the BBC it was “highly likely” Labour could back the proposal, tabled by Labour's Yvette Cooper and Conservative Nick Boles.

The proposal would not revoke article 50, but would allow lawmakers to vote on whether to extend the article 50 deadline beyond March 29.

GBP/USD rose 0.89% to $1.3072.

EUR/USD gained 0.28% to $1.1392 ahead of the European Central Bank meeting scheduled for Thursday.

USD/JPY gained 0.18% to Y109.56 following weakness in the yen in the wake of the Bank of Japan's decision to stand pat on interest rates despite cutting inflation forecasts.

USD/CAD fell 0.04% to C$1.3348, but remained well above lows of C$1.3303 as a slide in oil prices and weaker-than-expected Canada retail sales data kept the loonie on the back foot.

Investing.com - Capital One slumped, dragging financials lower, after it delivered quarterly results that spooked the sell-side community.

Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF), on Tuesday after the close, reported fourth-quarter earnings of $1.87 a share on $7 billion in revenue, missing expectations for earnings of $2.38 a share and $7.08 billion. Its shares fell 5.6%.

The results prompted bearish calls from analysts as Nomura lowered its price target on company's stock to $90 and said the results were "confidence shaking," citing disappointing revenue growth and elevated expenses.

Oppenheimer downgraded its investment rating on Capital One to perform from outperform.

"We find it less likely investors see the outsized benefits from pent-up account growth and funding cost reduction in the near term," Oppenheimer said.

But financial services company Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) was rewarded for delivering above-consensus fourth-quarter results and revealing that it had extended its relationship with Walmart (NYSE:WMT). Its share price soared 11%.

For the fourth quarter, earnings increased to $1.09 a share on $4.40 billion in revenue, well above analysts' estimates for earnings of $0.92 a share on $4.28 billion in revenue.

Synchrony said it extended its partnership with Walmart's Sam's Club and reached an agreement to sell the Walmart loan portfolio that it currently services. Walmart has agreed to dismiss a lawsuit against Synchrony.

Some on Wall street, however, remained bearish.

"We agree these are positives for Synchrony, but they do not contradict our expectations of slowing spending and deteriorating credit in 2019, which we think will weigh on shares," said CFRA, an independent research provider.

The Financial Select Sector SPDR (NYSE:XLF) ETF was down 0.5%.

Investing.com – Portugal stocks were higher after the close on Wednesday, as gains in the Telecoms, Basic Materials and Utilities sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Lisbon, the PSI 20 added 0.34%.

The best performers of the session on the PSI 20 were J. Martins SGPS (LS:JMT), which rose 2.65% or 0.3300 points to trade at 12.7800 at the close. Meanwhile, Altri SGPS (LS:ALSS) added 2.32% or 0.1600 points to end at 7.0700 and Sonae SGPS SA (LS:YSO) was up 1.04% or 0.0095 points to 0.9270 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Galp Energia Nom (LS:GALP), which fell 1.73% or 0.2450 points to trade at 13.9000 at the close. EDP Renovaveis (LS:EDPR) declined 1.19% or 0.0950 points to end at 7.8850 and Sonae Capital (LS:SONAC) was down 0.57% or 0.0050 points to 0.8740.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Lisbon Stock Exchange by 17 to 11 and 7 ended unchanged.

Brent oil for March delivery was down 1.27% or 0.78 to $60.72 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in March fell 1.40% or 0.74 to hit $52.27 a barrel, while the February Gold Futures contract rose 0.06% or 0.75 to trade at $1284.15 a troy ounce.

EUR/USD was up 0.31% to 1.1394, while EUR/GBP fell 0.52% to 0.8720.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.25% at 95.722.

Investing.com – Denmark stocks were lower after the close on Wednesday, as losses in the Healthcare, Oil&Gas and Real Estate sectors led shares lower.

At the close in Copenhagen, the OMX Copenhagen 20 fell 0.47%.

The best performers of the session on the OMX Copenhagen 20 were Ambu A/S (CO:AMBUb), which rose 3.54% or 5.3 points to trade at 154.9 at the close. Meanwhile, Oersted A/S (CO:ORSTED) added 2.91% or 13.00 points to end at 460.00 and DSV (CO:DSV) was up 1.66% or 8.6 points to 525.2 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were FLSmidth&Co. (CO:FLS), which fell 1.75% or 5.7 points to trade at 319.1 at the close. Lundbeck A/S (CO:LUN) declined 1.63% or 4.8 points to end at 289.3 and Tryg A/S (CO:TRYG) was down 1.59% or 2.7 points to 167.3.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange by 63 to 62 and 19 ended unchanged.

Shares in Oersted A/S (CO:ORSTED) rose to all time highs; rising 2.91% or 13.00 to 460.00.

Crude oil for March delivery was down 1.41% or 0.75 to $52.26 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in March fell 1.35% or 0.83 to hit $60.67 a barrel, while the February Gold Futures contract rose 0.08% or 1.05 to trade at $1284.45 a troy ounce.

USD/DKK was down 0.30% to 6.5530, while EUR/DKK rose 0.02% to 7.4666.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.27% at 95.703.

Investing.com – France stocks were lower after the close on Wednesday, as losses in the Basic Materials, Oil&Gas and Financials sectors led shares lower.

At the close in Paris, the CAC 40 fell 0.15%, while the SBF 120 index fell 0.23%.

The best performers of the session on the CAC 40 were Carrefour SA (PA:CARR), which rose 6.95% or 1.14 points to trade at 17.47 at the close. Meanwhile, Pernod Ricard SA (PA:PERP) added 1.43% or 2.00 points to end at 142.00 and Renault SA (PA:RENA) was up 1.11% or 0.63 points to 57.41 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were TechnipFMC PLC (PA:FTI), which fell 2.19% or 0.45 points to trade at 19.91 at the close. Valeo SA (PA:VLOF) declined 1.98% or 0.52 points to end at 25.68 and Schneider Electric SE (PA:SCHN) was down 1.63% or 0.98 points to 59.18.

The top performers on the SBF 120 were Maisons du Monde SAS (PA:MDM) which rose 7.60% to 22.380, Carrefour SA (PA:CARR) which was up 6.95% to settle at 17.47 and Air France KLM SA (PA:AIRF) which gained 3.46% to close at 11.060.

The worst performers were Neopost (PA:NPOS) which was down 17.21% to 21.46 in late trade, Eramet (PA:ERMT) which lost 14.58% to settle at 55.35 and Ingenico Group (PA:INGC) which was down 13.59% to 45.00 at the close.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Paris Stock Exchange by 310 to 248 and 99 ended unchanged.

Shares in Ingenico Group (PA:INGC) fell to 5-year lows; falling 13.59% or 7.08 to 45.00.

The CAC 40 VIX, which measures the implied volatility of CAC 40 options, was up 1.60% to 16.79.

Gold Futures for February delivery was up 0.08% or 1.05 to $1284.45 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in March fell 1.47% or 0.78 to hit $52.23 a barrel, while the March Brent oil contract fell 1.40% or 0.86 to trade at $60.64 a barrel.

EUR/USD was up 0.31% to 1.1393, while EUR/GBP fell 0.55% to 0.8717.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.26% at 95.710.

Investing.com – Netherlands stocks were higher after the close on Wednesday, as gains in the Healthcare, Consumer Services and Industrials sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Amsterdam, the AEX rose 0.14%.

The best performers of the session on the AEX were Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize NV (AS:AD), which rose 3.21% or 0.720 points to trade at 23.175 at the close. Meanwhile, Unilever NV DRC (AS:UNc) added 1.03% or 0.48 points to end at 47.17 and Altice NV (AS:ATCA) was up 0.96% or 0.02 points to 1.73 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Philips Lighting NV (AS:LIGHT), which fell 2.32% or 0.50 points to trade at 21.05 at the close. Royal Dutch Shell PLC Class A (AS:RDSa) declined 1.65% or 0.435 points to end at 25.925 and ArcelorMittal SA (AS:MT) was down 1.45% or 0.274 points to 18.670.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange by 64 to 64 and 7 ended unchanged.

Shares in Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize NV (AS:AD) rose to 5-year highs; rising 3.21% or 0.720 to 23.175.

The AEX Volatility, which measures the implied volatility of AEX options, was up 2.53% to 16.09.

Crude oil for March delivery was down 1.53% or 0.81 to $52.20 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in March fell 1.41% or 0.87 to hit $60.63 a barrel, while the February Gold Futures contract rose 0.08% or 1.05 to trade at $1284.45 a troy ounce.

EUR/USD was up 0.32% to 1.1395, while EUR/GBP fell 0.55% to 0.8717.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.26% at 95.713.

Investing.com – Belgium stocks were higher after the close on Wednesday, as gains in the Industrials, Telecoms and Industrial Engineering sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Brussels, the BEL 20 rose 0.24%.

The best performers of the session on the BEL 20 were Aperam SA (AS:APAM), which rose 1.11% or 0.28 points to trade at 25.49 at the close. Meanwhile, KBC (BR:KBC) added 0.97% or 0.580 points to end at 60.640 and Engie SA (PA:ENGIE) was up 0.80% or 0.11 points to 13.80 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Sofina (BR:SOF), which fell 1.36% or 2.40 points to trade at 174.60 at the close. Galapagos NV (AS:GLPG) declined 1.15% or 1.060 points to end at 90.760 and Telenet Group Holding NV (BR:TNET) was down 1.08% or 0.42 points to 38.52.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Brussels Stock Exchange by 61 to 55 and 14 ended unchanged.

Gold Futures for February delivery was up 0.09% or 1.15 to $1284.55 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in March fell 1.75% or 0.93 to hit $52.08 a barrel, while the March Brent oil contract fell 1.59% or 0.98 to trade at $60.52 a barrel.

EUR/USD was up 0.29% to 1.1392, while EUR/GBP fell 0.51% to 0.8720.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.24% at 95.725.

Investing.com - Abbott Labs (NYSE:ABT) fell by 3.04% to trade at $69.32 by 12:18 (17:18 GMT) on Wednesday on the NYSE exchange.

The volume of Abbott Labs shares traded since the start of the session was 3.90M. Abbott Labs has traded in a range of $69.31 to $71.55 on the day.

The stock has traded at $71.7400 at its highest and $68.1300 at its lowest during the past seven days.

Investing.com – Germany stocks were mixed after the close on Wednesday, as gains in the Utilities, Transportation&Logistics and Financial Services sectors led shares higher while losses in the Chemicals, Food&Beverages and Construction sectors led shares lower.

At the close in Frankfurt, the DAX lost 0.17%, while the MDAX index climbed 0.41%, and the TecDAX index gained 0.60%.

The best performers of the session on the DAX were RWE AG ST O.N. (DE:RWEG), which rose 5.11% or 1.005 points to trade at 20.655 at the close. Meanwhile, Deutsche Lufthansa AG (DE:LHAG) added 3.33% or 0.710 points to end at 22.000 and Wirecard AG (DE:WDIG) was up 1.98% or 3.100 points to 160.000 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Covestro AG (DE:1COV), which fell 2.08% or 0.960 points to trade at 45.230 at the close. BASF SE NA O.N. (DE:BASFN) declined 1.83% or 1.180 points to end at 63.160 and Linde PLC (DE:LINI) was down 1.73% or 2.450 points to 139.400.

The top performers on the MDAX were Metro AG (DE:CECG) which rose 5.43% to 4.002, Kion Group AG (DE:KGX) which was up 3.21% to settle at 47.89 and Freenet AG NA (DE:FNTGn) which gained 2.60% to close at 17.7250.

The worst performers were Lanxess AG (DE:LXSG) which was down 2.41% to 47.420 in late trade, Wacker Chemie O.N. (DE:WCHG) which lost 2.28% to settle at 86.44 and Hochtief AG (DE:HOTG) which was down 1.62% to 127.30 at the close.

The top performers on the TecDAX were Heidelberger Druckmaschinen O.N. (DE:HDDG) which rose 14.43% to 1.9750, S&T AG (DE:SANT1) which was up 7.96% to settle at 20.08 and Metro AG ST O.N. (DE:CECG) which gained 5.87% to close at 3.989.

The worst performers were Jenoptik AG (DE:JENGn) which was down 2.44% to 26.360 in late trade, Krones AG O.N. (DE:KRNG) which lost 2.27% to settle at 75.400 and Baywa AG Vink. NA O.N. (DE:BYWGnx) which was down 2.26% to 23.750 at the close.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange by 354 to 332 and 89 ended unchanged.

The DAX volatility index, which measures the implied volatility of DAX options, was up 2.60% to 18.17.

Gold Futures for February delivery was up 0.07% or 0.95 to $1284.35 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in March fell 1.81% or 0.96 to hit $52.05 a barrel, while the March Brent oil contract fell 1.67% or 1.03 to trade at $60.47 a barrel.

EUR/USD was up 0.29% to 1.1391, while EUR/GBP fell 0.52% to 0.8719.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.23% at 95.743.

Investing.com – Poland stocks were higher after the close on Wednesday, as gains in the Information Technology, Oil&Gas and Banking sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Warsaw, the WIG30 gained 2.01% to hit a new 6-months high.

The best performers of the session on the WIG30 were CD Projekt SA (WA:CDR), which rose 11.80% or 20.55 points to trade at 194.65 at the close. Meanwhile, Dino Polska SA (WA:DNP) added 5.32% or 5.25 points to end at 103.90 and Play Communications SA (WA:PLY) was up 3.26% or 0.68 points to 21.56 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were CCC SA (WA:CCCP), which fell 1.80% or 3.35 points to trade at 182.65 at the close. Kruk SA (WA:KRU) declined 1.36% or 2.40 points to end at 173.50 and Jastrzebska Spotka Weglowa SA (WA:JSW) was down 0.45% or 0.30 points to 66.00.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Warsaw Stock Exchange by 266 to 195 and 190 ended unchanged.

Crude oil for March delivery was down 1.74% or 0.92 to $52.09 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in March fell 1.66% or 1.02 to hit $60.48 a barrel, while the February Gold Futures contract rose 0.11% or 1.35 to trade at $1284.75 a troy ounce.

EUR/PLN was up 0.18% to 4.2919, while USD/PLN fell 0.13% to 3.7672.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.25% at 95.715.

Investing.com – Norway stocks were lower after the close on Wednesday, as losses in the Transport, Pharma Biotech&Life Sciences and Energy sectors led shares lower.

At the close in Oslo, the Oslo OBX declined 0.53%.

The best performers of the session on the Oslo OBX were BW Offshore Ltd (OL:BWO), which rose 2.14% or 0.850 points to trade at 40.500 at the close. Meanwhile, Nel ASA (OL:NEL) added 1.88% or 0.100 points to end at 5.430 and Subsea 7 SA (OL:SUBC) was up 1.03% or 1.0 points to 96.1 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Golden Ocean Group Ltd (OL:GOGLT), which fell 3.41% or 1.80 points to trade at 51.00 at the close. TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company ASA (OL:TGS) declined 2.48% or 6.1 points to end at 239.9 and Petroleum Geo - Services ASA (OL:PGS) was down 2.38% or 0.43 points to 17.68.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Oslo Stock Exchange by 126 to 54 and 30 ended unchanged.

Shares in Nel ASA (OL:NEL) rose to 5-year highs; rising 1.88% or 0.100 to 5.430.

Crude oil for March delivery was down 1.75% or 0.93 to $52.08 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in March fell 1.67% or 1.03 to hit $60.47 a barrel, while the February Gold Futures contract rose 0.08% or 1.00 to trade at $1284.40 a troy ounce.

EUR/NOK was up 0.08% to 9.7752, while USD/NOK fell 0.22% to 8.5807.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.24% at 95.727.

Investing.com - Cybersecurity company FireEye jumped in midday trading on positive analyst comments.

FireEye (NASDAQ:FEYE) rose 4.5% after Baird put the stock on its “Fresh Picks” list, noting a recent decline in shares despite the company’s confident 2019 guidance.

Baird has an outperform rating on the stock, with a price target of $23.

FireEye is set for a “breakout year” for major products such as its Managed Defense and iSight, Baird said according to Seeking Alpha.

The S&P 500 Information Technology sector was up 1.5%, led by IBM 's (NYSE:IBM) charge higher.

But Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) dragged on the sector, falling 4.3%.

Kerrisdale Capital issued a report today explaining why it is short Qualcomm, saying that the company is “on the brink of disaster” due to regulatory hurdles.

“In the past few years, regulators across the globe have concluded that Qualcomm’s ability to extract massive licensing fees from devicemakers like Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Samsung (KS:005930) stems not from the quality of its patents but from unlawful monopolistic tactics,” Kerrisdale wrote.

Investing.com – Greece stocks were higher after the close on Wednesday, as gains in the Travel, Media and Retail sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Athens, the Athens General Composite added 0.18%.

The best performers of the session on the Athens General Composite were AS Company SA (AT:ASCr), which rose 2.96% or 0.080 points to trade at 2.780 at the close. Meanwhile, Karatzi (AT:KRTr) added 2.14% or 0.150 points to end at 7.200 and J.&P. Avax (AT:AVAr) was up 1.65% or 0.006 points to 0.369 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Selonda Aquaculture SA (AT:SELr), which fell 4.72% or 0.0020 points to trade at 0.0404 at the close. Iktinos Hellas (AT:IKTr) declined 3.48% or 0.1700 points to end at 4.7100 and European Reliance General Insurance Co SA (AT:EREr) was down 3.09% or 0.110 points to 3.540.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Athens Stock Exchange by 53 to 45 and 21 ended unchanged.

Shares in AS Company SA (AT:ASCr) rose to 5-year highs; up 2.96% or 0.080 to 2.780.

Gold Futures for February delivery was down 0.13% or 1.65 to $1281.75 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in March rose 0.08% or 0.04 to hit $53.05 a barrel, while the March Brent oil contract rose 0.03% or 0.02 to trade at $61.52 a barrel.

EUR/USD was up 0.24% to 1.1385, while EUR/GBP fell 0.60% to 0.8712.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.18% at 95.782.

Investing.com – Turkey stocks were higher after the close on Wednesday, as gains in the Transport, Food&Beverages and Sports sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Istanbul, the BIST 100 gained 0.47% to hit a new 3-months high.

The best performers of the session on the BIST 100 were CarrefourSA Carrefour Sabanci Ticaret Merkezi AS (IS:CRFSA), which rose 9.44% or 0.34 points to trade at 3.94 at the close. Meanwhile, Pegasus Hava Tasimaciligi AS (IS:PGSUS) added 8.88% or 2.300 points to end at 28.200 and Mavi Giyim Sanayi Ve Ticaret AS (IS:MAVI) was up 5.62% or 1.84 points to 34.60 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were ODAS Elektrik Uretim Sanayi Ticaret AS (IS:ODAS), which fell 5.61% or 0.110 points to trade at 1.850 at the close. Vakif Gayrimenkul Yatirim Ortakligi AS (IS:VKGYO) declined 5.08% or 0.120 points to end at 2.240 and Ihlas Holding AS (IS:IHLAS) was down 3.23% or 0.010 points to 0.300.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Istanbul Stock Exchange by 203 to 145 and 60 ended unchanged.

Gold Futures for February delivery was down 0.15% or 1.95 to $1281.45 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in March fell 0.23% or 0.12 to hit $52.89 a barrel, while the March Brent oil contract fell 0.13% or 0.08 to trade at $61.42 a barrel.

USD/TRY was down 0.85% to 5.2907, while EUR/TRY fell 0.67% to 6.0204.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.15% at 95.817.

Investing.com - Bitcoin headed higher amid mixed cryptocurrency trading on Wednesday, albeit staying well within its recent narrow trading range.

Cryptocurrencies overall inched higher, in the absence of major news, with the total coin market capitalization at $120.6 billion at the time of writing, compared to $120.6 billion on Tuesday.

Bitcoin edged forward 0.13% to $3,573 on the Investing.com Index as of 10:03 AM ET (15:03 GMT).

XRP traded down 0.81% to $0.31646, Ethereum, or Ether, fell 0.32% to $117.55, while Litecoin was at $31.817, up 0.62%.

Efforts to broaden access to - and in turn raise demand for - cryptccurrencies continue to make headlines. Chicago-based crypto exchange Seed CX announced on Wednesday that it had launched a regulated platform for bitcoin spot trading in an attempt to lure institutional investors.

“We’re offering truly institutional level support. We are live,” the company’s co-founder and and chief executive Edward Woodford said.

The initial launch will include bitcoin/U.S. dollar with plans to add further pairing against the dollar for ether, litecoin and bitcoin cash by the end of January, while Woodford said that pairing against the euro and yen should happen in February.

In other sector news, the U.S.-based Blockchain Industries announced an agreement to merge with Singapore’s BTHMB Holdings into a single entity in order to become a publicly traded cryptocurrency exchange company.

“We are thrilled to be part of this important initiative that is expected to bring liquidity, accessibility and expansion to the blockchain industry,” Blockchain Industries Chief Executive Patrick Moynihan said. “By merging (…), we expect to bring more advanced technology and better compliance practices into the public marketplace via a consolidated focus.”

On the regulatory front, the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority announced on Wednesday launched a consultation on cryptoassets “in order to provide regulatory clarity for market participants carrying on activities in this space.

“The cryptoasset market, and the underlying DLT technology, is developing quickly and participants need to be clear on where they are conducting activities that fall within the scope of the FCA’s regulatory remit and for which they require authorization”, the British regulator said.

The consultation period is expected to end on April 5.

Investing.com - NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) rose by 3.04% to trade at $153.30 by 09:40 (14:40 GMT) on Wednesday on the NASDAQ exchange.

The volume of NVIDIA shares traded since the start of the session was 1.50M. NVIDIA has traded in a range of $150.17 to $153.37 on the day.

The stock has traded at $157.9800 at its highest and $145.7700 at its lowest during the past seven days.

Investing.com - IBM (NYSE:IBM) rose by 6.77% to trade at $130.81 by 09:30 (14:30 GMT) on Wednesday on the NYSE exchange.

The volume of IBM shares traded since the start of the session was 610.54K. IBM has traded in a range of $130.45 to $131.61 on the day.

The stock has traded at $131.1700 at its highest and $119.7600 at its lowest during the past seven days.