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Investing.com – Netherlands stocks were higher after the close on Monday, as gains in the Basic Materials, Financials and Industrials sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Amsterdam, the AEX added 0.00% to hit a new 3-months high.

The best performers of the session on the AEX were Altice NV (AS:ATCA), which rose 4.54% or 0.08 points to trade at 1.89 at the close. Meanwhile, Akzo Nobel NV (AS:AKZO) added 2.98% or 2.42 points to end at 83.50 and Koninklijke DSM NV (AS:DSMN) was up 2.10% or 1.98 points to 96.38 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Relx PLC (AS:REL), which fell 1.45% or 0.285 points to trade at 19.310 at the close. ASR Nederland NV (AS:ASRNL) declined 1.26% or 0.48 points to end at 37.74 and Randstad NV (AS:RAND) was down 1.11% or 0.52 points to 46.30.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange by 76 to 44 and 14 ended unchanged.

Shares in Akzo Nobel NV (AS:AKZO) rose to all time highs; rising 2.98% or 2.42 to 83.50. Shares in Koninklijke DSM NV (AS:DSMN) rose to all time highs; rising 2.10% or 1.98 to 96.38.

The AEX Volatility, which measures the implied volatility of AEX options, was up 2.40% to 13.61.

Crude oil for April delivery was up 0.88% or 0.49 to $56.47 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in April rose 0.33% or 0.22 to hit $66.47 a barrel, while the April Gold Futures contract rose 0.15% or 2.00 to trade at $1329.70 a troy ounce.

EUR/USD was up 0.16% to 1.1312, while EUR/GBP fell 0.06% to 0.8749.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.12% at 96.620.

Investing.com – U.K. stocks were lower after the close on Monday, as losses in the Tobacco, Pharmaceuticals&Biotech and General Industrial sectors led shares lower.

At the close in London, the Investing.com United Kingdom 100 fell 0.30%.

The best performers of the session on the Investing.com United Kingdom 100 were Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC (LON:RB), which rose 4.64% or 279.00 points to trade at 6296.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Micro Focus International PLC (LON:MCRO) added 4.08% or 68.50 points to end at 1748.50 and Next PLC (LON:NXT) was up 2.84% or 134.00 points to 4858.00 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Old Mutual Ltd (LON:OMU), which fell 2.72% or 3.48 points to trade at 124.52 at the close. Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC (LON:HIK) declined 2.30% or 40.50 points to end at 1718.50 and International Consolidated Airlines Group S.A. (LON:ICAG) was down 2.11% or 14.00 points to 649.80.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the London Stock Exchange by 1186 to 851 and 349 ended unchanged.

Gold Futures for April delivery was up 0.15% or 2.00 to $1329.70 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in April rose 0.88% or 0.49 to hit $56.47 a barrel, while the April Brent oil contract rose 0.38% or 0.25 to trade at $66.50 a barrel.

GBP/USD was up 0.30% to 1.2928, while EUR/GBP fell 0.05% to 0.8750.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.12% at 96.620.

Investing.com – Germany stocks were mixed after the close on Monday, as gains in the Software, Media and Retail sectors led shares higher while losses in the Transportation&Logistics, Technology and Insurance sectors led shares lower.

At the close in Frankfurt, the DAX lost 0.01%, while the MDAX index climbed 0.57%, and the TecDAX index climbed 1.48%.

The best performers of the session on the DAX were Wirecard AG (DE:WDIG), which rose 15.19% or 15.175 points to trade at 115.075 at the close. Meanwhile, Henkel&Co KGaA AG Pref (DE:HNKG_p) added 1.59% or 1.38 points to end at 88.28 and Deutsche Telekom AG Na (DE:DTEGn) was up 0.84% or 0.120 points to 14.380 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Deutsche Post AG NA O.N. (DE:DPWGn), which fell 2.39% or 0.640 points to trade at 26.110 at the close. Thyssenkrupp AG O.N. (DE:TKAG) declined 1.70% or 0.225 points to end at 13.035 and Deutsche Lufthansa AG (DE:LHAG) was down 1.34% or 0.300 points to 22.070.

The top performers on the MDAX were Puma SE (DE:PUMG) which rose 3.62% to 458.50, Zalando SE (DE:ZALG) which was up 3.21% to settle at 26.98 and GEA Group AG (DE:G1AG) which gained 3.12% to close at 21.150.

The worst performers were Schaeffler AG Pref (DE:SHA_p) which was down 1.90% to 7.74 in late trade, Osram Licht AG (DE:OSRn) which lost 1.68% to settle at 40.46 and Wacker Chemie O.N. (DE:WCHG) which was down 1.07% to 90.44 at the close.

The top performers on the TecDAX were Tele Columbus AG (DE:TC1n) which rose 8.45% to 2.02, Hapag Lloyd AG (DE:HLAG) which was up 6.69% to settle at 26.4600 and Xing AG (DE:OBCGn) which gained 5.94% to close at 285.50.

The worst performers were Kloeckner&Co SE NA (DE:KCOGn) which was down 6.04% to 6.2200 in late trade, VTG AG O.N. (DE:VT9G) which lost 2.49% to settle at 51.000 and Dr. Hoenle AG O.N. (DE:HNLG) which was down 1.47% to 53.600 at the close.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange by 400 to 307 and 72 ended unchanged.

Shares in Thyssenkrupp AG O.N. (DE:TKAG) fell to 3-years lows; losing 1.70% or 0.225 to 13.035.

The DAX volatility index, which measures the implied volatility of DAX options, was up 0.89% to 17.10.

Gold Futures for April delivery was up 0.15% or 2.00 to $1329.70 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in April rose 0.88% or 0.49 to hit $56.47 a barrel, while the April Brent oil contract rose 0.38% or 0.25 to trade at $66.50 a barrel.

EUR/USD was up 0.16% to 1.1312, while EUR/GBP fell 0.05% to 0.8750.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.12% at 96.620.

Investing.com – Norway stocks were higher after the close on Monday, as gains in the Pharma Biotech&Life Sciences, Capital Goods and Auto&components sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Oslo, the Oslo OBX rose 0.07% to hit a new 1-month high.

The best performers of the session on the Oslo OBX were P/f Bakkafrost (OL:BAKKA), which rose 4.18% or 19.00 points to trade at 473.40 at the close. Meanwhile, Grieg Seafood (OL:GSFO) added 3.04% or 3.50 points to end at 118.60 and BW Offshore Ltd (OL:BWO) was up 2.36% or 1.100 points to 47.700 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA (OL:NWC), which fell 4.46% or 4.34 points to trade at 93.00 at the close. Nel ASA (OL:NEL) declined 1.77% or 0.100 points to end at 5.265 and TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company ASA (OL:TGS) was down 1.56% or 4.0 points to 251.6.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Oslo Stock Exchange by 106 to 86 and 26 ended unchanged.

Shares in Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA (OL:NWC) fell to 5-year lows; down 4.46% or 4.34 to 93.00.

Crude oil for April delivery was up 0.88% or 0.49 to $56.47 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in April rose 0.33% or 0.22 to hit $66.47 a barrel, while the April Gold Futures contract rose 0.15% or 2.00 to trade at $1329.70 a troy ounce.

EUR/NOK was down 0.10% to 9.7332, while USD/NOK fell 0.30% to 8.6066.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.12% at 96.620.

Investing.com - Litecoin was trading at $47.913 by 11:35 (16:35 GMT) on the Investing.com Index on Monday, up 10.04% on the day. It was the largest one-day percentage gain since February 8.

The move upwards pushed Litecoin's market cap up to $2.869B, or 2.17% of the total cryptocurrency market cap. At its highest, Litecoin's market cap was $14.099B.

Litecoin had traded in a range of $43.798 to $47.913 in the previous twenty-four hours.

Over the past seven days, Litecoin has seen a rise in value, as it gained 8.55%. The volume of Litecoin traded in the twenty-four hours to time of writing was $1.328B or 4.28% of the total volume of all cryptocurrencies. It has traded in a range of $40.7214 to $47.9127 in the past 7 days.

At its current price, Litecoin is still down 88.59% from its all-time high of $420.00 set on December 12, 2017.

Elsewhere in cryptocurrency trading

Bitcoin was last at $3,874.1 on the Investing.com Index, up 6.58% on the day.

Ethereum was trading at $147.12 on the Investing.com Index, a gain of 13.70%.

Bitcoin's market cap was last at $68.310B or 51.74% of the total cryptocurrency market cap, while Ethereum's market cap totaled $15.455B or 11.71% of the total cryptocurrency market value.

Investing.com – Turkey stocks were lower after the close on Monday, as losses in the Transport, Banking and Tourism sectors led shares lower.

At the close in Istanbul, the BIST 100 fell 0.96%.

The best performers of the session on the BIST 100 were Aksa Enerji Uretim AS (IS:AKSEN), which rose 5.13% or 0.140 points to trade at 2.870 at the close. Meanwhile, Tofas Turk Otomobil Fabrikasi AS (IS:TOASO) added 4.63% or 0.88 points to end at 19.90 and Galatasaray Sportif Sinai ve Ticari Yatirimlar AS (IS:GSRAY) was up 4.03% or 0.06 points to 1.55 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Ipek Dogal Enerji Kaynaklari Arastirma ve Uretim AS (IS:IPEKE), which fell 9.11% or 0.480 points to trade at 4.790 at the close. Koza Anadolu Metal Madencilik Isletmeleri AS (IS:KOZAA) declined 7.71% or 0.450 points to end at 5.390 and Koza Altin Isletmeleri AS (IS:KOZAL) was down 5.52% or 2.81 points to 48.14.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Istanbul Stock Exchange by 195 to 162 and 49 ended unchanged.

Gold Futures for April delivery was up 0.10% or 1.35 to $1329.05 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in April rose 0.59% or 0.33 to hit $56.31 a barrel, while the April Brent oil contract rose 0.29% or 0.19 to trade at $66.44 a barrel.

USD/TRY was up 0.72% to 5.3084, while EUR/TRY rose 0.92% to 6.0027.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.10% at 96.640.

Investing.com - Oil prices hit their highest levels in three months on Monday on evidence of supply reductions and on hopes that the U.S. and China may resolve their trade dispute.

A truce in that trade war would could support global demand and contribute to a broad market rebalancing,

New York-traded West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 35 cents, or 0.63%, at $56.33 a barrel by 9:34 AM ET (14:34 GMT). That was off the intraday peak of $56.73, its highest level since November of last year.

Meanwhile, Brent crude futures, the benchmark for oil prices outside the U.S., traded up 3 cents, or 0.05%, to $66.28. The intraday high of $66.84 was also a three-month high.

Fears of a fresh glut on world markets have receded as data showing broad compliance within OPEC for its agreement (with other major producers) to cut output at the end of last year. Figures have shown that Saudi Arabia, the bloc's de facto leader, had delivered its promised cuts, giving credibility to oil minister Khalid al-Falih's subsequent promise to cut even more.

OPEC and a group of 10 producers outside the cartel, led by Russia had agreed to collectively cut production by a total of 1.2 million barrels per day during the first six months of 2019. However, there have also been signs that Russia, the other key signatory to the OPEC deal, hasn't cut as promised - something that has prompted questions as to whether the deal can hold.

“OPEC production cuts and U.S. sanctions on both Iran and Venezuela are limiting supply,” said Jasper Lawler, head of research at London Capital Group.

On the demand side, U.S. President Donald Trump also boosted confidence after saying over the weekend that talks with China are “going extremely well,” and that Washington is closer than ever before to “having a real trade deal."

Trump added that he would remove tariffs if the two sides could reach an agreement.

“Trade tensions which have weighed on global growth are showing signs of easing, boosting sentiment across markets and lifting oil demand prospects," Lawler explained.

Consultancy JBC Energy commented in a note that its calculations “do tell us that we are looking at the tightest (first half) crude balance in many years and, as such, a certain degree of price support does simply make sense for the time being.”

PVM Oil Associates analyst Tamas Varga warned that there are still many pending uncertainties that could have a negative impact on oil prices.

“Latest available data, however, point in the direction of a tightening market. It is not recommended to swim against the current and presently the 'oil' river is flowing north,”

In other energy trading, gasoline futures fell 0.18% to $1.5700 a gallon by 9:44 AM ET (14:44 GMT), while heating oil slipped 0.06% to $2.0191 a gallon.

Lastly, natural gas futures traded up 0.38% to $2.635 per million British thermal unit.

-- Reuters contributed to this report.

Investing.com - Gold prices edged higher on Monday, rising towards their best level since April as the U.S. dollar weakened on hopes the U.S. and China would hammer out an agreement resolving their protracted trade war.

Comex gold futures were up $2.25, or around 0.2%, at $1,329.95 a troy ounce by 8:40AM ET (13:40 GMT), not far from a 10-month high of $1,331.10.

Meanwhile, spot gold was trading at $1,326.91 per ounce, up $5.50, or roughly 0.4%.

There will be no floor trading on the Comex on Monday because of Washington's Birthday, more widely known as Presidents Day. All electronic transactions will be booked with Tuesday's trades for settlement.

The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a basket of six major currencies, dipped 0.2% to 96.54, well off a 2019 high of 97.23 reached on Friday.

Dollar weakness usually benefits gold, as it boosts the metal's appeal as an alternative asset and makes dollar-priced commodities cheaper for holders of other currencies.

Markets will be keeping abreast of the next round of trade discussions between the U.S. and China in Washington this week, as the two sides race to reach a deal that would avert a tariff increase on Chinese goods by March 1.

U.S. tariffs on $200 billion in imports from China are set to rise to 25% from 10% if no deal is reached by March 1, but U.S. President Donald Trump said that he may extend the deadline if the two sides were close to an agreement.

Investors will also focus on the release of the minutes from the Federal Reserve's last meeting, due on Wednesday, for further insight into the outlook for monetary policy in the months ahead.

After the Fed hiked rates four times in 2018, investors now expect the U.S. central bank to halt its monetary tightening policy this year as risks to the U.S. economy mount.

"Looser monetary policies are generally favorable to gold, which has benefited since the Fed paused its tightening path," said Nicholas Frappell, global general manager, ABC Bullion.

In other metals trading, silver futures tacked on 6.9 cents, or about 0.4%, to trade at $15.81 a troy ounce.

Meanwhile, palladium futures jumped 1.6% to reach an all-time high of $1,430.45 an ounce.

"In combination with supply-side issues, the market is going to be in a sizeable deficit this year ... potential for better-than-expected demand from China will exacerbate that tightness," said ANZ analyst Daniel Hynes.

-- Reuters contributed to this report

Investing.com - Here are the top five things you need to know in financial markets on Monday, February 18:

1. U.S.-China Trade Talks Continue in Washington

Markets will be keeping abreast of the next round of trade discussions between the U.S. and China in Washington, as the two sides race to reach a deal that would avert a tariff increase on imports of Chinese goods by March 1.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and China’s vice premier and chief trade negotiator, Liu He, will lead the next round of talks scheduled for this week.

Both sides reported progress in five days of negotiations in Beijing last week, but the White House said much work remains to be done in order to reach a deal.

U.S. tariffs on $200 billion in imports from China are set to rise to 25% from 10% if no deal is reached by March 1, but U.S. President Donald Trump said that he may extend the deadline if the two sides were close an agreement.

2. Commerce Submits Auto Tariff Recommendation to Trump

Investors were also watching for more information on a Commerce Department probe on whether to impose tariffs of up to 25% on imported vehicles and auto parts on national-security grounds.

The report was submitted to the White House on Sunday. Trump now has 90 days to decide whether to act upon the recommendations.

The probe is the result of an investigation started by the Commerce Department in May 2018 at Trump's request. Known as a Section 232 investigation, the probe's purpose is to determine the effects of imports on national security.

3. U.S. Markets Closed for Washington's Birthday

U.S. financial markets are closed for Washington's Birthday, more widely known as Presidents Day. In observance of the holiday, there will be no trading on the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, and the Nasdaq Composite indexes.

Fixed-income markets will also be closed, which means no trading in the 10-year Treasury note.

Meanwhile, the CME Group’s Globex, which operates options and futures exchanges, will have only partial disruptions to its normal schedule. According to the company, its crude oil and energy markets will close at 1:00PM ET (18:00 GMT).

Other global markets will operate on a normal schedule.

Currency markets are also operating as usual.

4. Global Stocks Mixed

World stocks were mixed, as market participants continued to monitor trade talks between the world's two largest economies.

Asian stock markets closed mostly in positive territory. Shanghai blue chips surged 2.7% to their highest finish in more than six months, while Tokyo's Nikkei climbed 1.8% to reach its highest level so far this year.

Elsewhere, European stocks were mostly lower in choppy trade, struggling to build on the four-month high they hit on Friday, due in part to the threat of President Donald Trump levying tariffs against European automakers.

Among national indexes, Germany's DAX and Britain's FTSE 100 were both down by about 0.2% at 5:25AM ET (10:25 GMT).

5. Oil Prices Hit 2019 Highs

In commodities, oil prices climbed to their highest level for the year so far, supported by OPEC-led supply cuts and U.S. sanctions against Venezuela and Iran, which have helped tighten the market.

Crude futures were also generally supported by hopes that the U.S. and China would soon resolve their trade disputes, which have dragged on global economic growth.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures rose 21 cents, or around 0.4%, to $56.19 per barrel. It earlier rose to its strongest level since Nov. 20 at $56.66.

International Brent crude oil futures also rose to their highest since November, at $66.84 per barrel, before pulling back to $65.98, down 27 cents, or 0.4%.

-- Reuters contributed to this report

Investing.com – Japan stocks were higher after the close on Monday, as gains in the Chemical, Petroleum&Plastic, Rubber and Mining sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 rose 1.82% to hit a new 1-month high.

The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Yaskawa Electric Corp. (T:6506), which rose 6.01% or 185.0 points to trade at 3265.0 at the close. Meanwhile, Mitsui Engineering&Shipbuilding (T:7003) added 5.40% or 62.0 points to end at 1211.0 and Asahi Kasei Corp. (T:3407) was up 5.26% or 58.5 points to 1171.5 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Olympus Corp. (T:7733), which fell 1.55% or 75.0 points to trade at 4775.0 at the close. Sojitz Corp. (T:2768) declined 0.95% or 4.0 points to end at 418.0 and Taiyo Yuden Co., Ltd. (T:6976) was down 0.75% or 18.0 points to 2384.0.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by 2924 to 637 and 147 ended unchanged.

The Nikkei Volatility, which measures the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, was up 4.84% to 18.64.

Crude oil for April delivery was up 1.02% or 0.57 to $56.55 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in April rose 0.56% or 0.37 to hit $66.62 a barrel, while the April Gold Futures contract fell 0.18% or 2.35 to trade at $1325.35 a troy ounce.

USD/JPY was up 0.10% to 110.59, while EUR/JPY rose 0.21% to 124.95.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.04% at 96.703.

Investing.com -- Foreign exchange markets got off to a slow start Monday, with trading set to remain subdued due to a sparse data calendar in Europe and public holidays in North America.

The dollar has retreated slightly over the weekend amid hopes that the U.S. and China will find a way to de-escalate their trade war. Such hopes were the main driver of a rally in Asian stock markets overnight, with the Nikkei 225 and Hang Seng indices both rising over 1.5%, while mainland Chinese stocks gained even more.

Commodity prices, too, have rallied overnight, with crude oil touching its highest level since November.

Officials from China and the U.S. are due to continue talks this week in Washington DC.

At 03:00 AM ET (0800 GMT), the dollar index was at 96.71, down nearly 0.5% from the new high for 2019 that it hit last week. It was supported by the buck rising against the yen, as the world’s cheapest funding currency suffered most from the return of animal spirits. The USD/JPY pair rose to 110.61.

The euro was back above $1.13, up nearly half a cent from the low it hit on Friday when European Central Bank board member Benoit Coeure said the euro-zone economy’s slowdown had been deeper and broader than the ECB first thought.

Marc Ostwald, global strategist and chief economist with ADM ISI in London, said in a note to clients that markets are balanced between the “ostensibly positive aspect of central banks stepping back from, or pushing back on policy tightening narratives,” given the weakening growth outlook, and the risk of further financial repression, and its baggage of negative interest rates and crushed credit premiums.

The British pound was weaker against the dollar but was holding up against the euro after the EU’s securities regulator ESMA said it would issue temporary licenses to U.K.-based clearing houses in the event of a ‘no-deal’ Brexit. That means EU-based clients would still be able to clear trades through London in the short term, reducing the risk of financial volatility. Cable was at $1.2902.

Investing.com - Gold prices ticked higher while the U.S. dollar slipped on Monday in Asia, as traders digested some positive trade headlines from over the weekend.

Both the U.S. and China reported progress in trade negotiations last week, although President Donald Trump said Friday that the talks were “very complicated".

In futures trading, gold's benchmark April contract on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange was up 0.3% at $1,326.35 per ounce by 1:40 AM ET (06:40 GMT).

Gold futures settled at the highest level in two weeks on Friday, closing at $1,324.75.

The greenback, which has been the preferred safe-haven since the beginning of the Sino-U.S. trade war, traded slightly lower amid hopes for a breakthrough in the trade conflict between the world's two largest economies.

The U.S. dollar index that tracks the greenback against a basket of other currencies dropped 0.1% to 96.640.

Looking ahead, the Federal Reserve will release minutes of its January policy meeting on Wednesday after surprising markets with a shift to a more dovish outlook on rate hikes for the rest of 2019.

The U.S. central bank left interest rates on hold on Jan. 30 and pledged to be patient with further interest rate hikes, dropping its guidance that ‘further gradual’ rate rises will be needed.

“Looser monetary policies are generally favourable to gold, which has benefited since the Fed paused its tightening path,” said Nicholas Frappell, global general manager at ABC Bullion, in a Business Day report.

“The market will be looking closely at US and China data and I think gold will target a retest of the $1,326 level again,” Frappell added.

Speeches from a number of Fed officials, including New York Fed President John Williams and St. Louis Fed head James Bullard, are also expected to receive some attention later this week.

Investing.com – Australia stocks were higher after the close on Monday, as gains in the Energy, Resources and Metals&Mining sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.39%.

The best performers of the session on the S&P/ASX 200 were Automotive Group Holdings Ltd (AX:AHG), which rose 8.56% or 0.140 points to trade at 1.775 at the close. Meanwhile, GWA Group Ltd (AX:GWA) added 4.38% or 0.140 points to end at 3.340 and Ansell Ltd (AX:ANN) was up 4.09% or 0.990 points to 25.210 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Bingo Industries Ltd (AX:BIN), which fell 49.13% or 1.130 points to trade at 1.170 at the close. Smartgroup Corporation Ltd (AX:SIQ) declined 9.18% or 0.900 points to end at 8.900 and Bank Of Queensland Ltd. (AX:BOQ) was down 6.33% or 0.630 points to 9.320.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Sydney Stock Exchange by 599 to 535 and 367 ended unchanged.

Shares in Bingo Industries Ltd (AX:BIN) fell to all time lows; falling 49.13% or 1.130 to 1.170.

The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, which measures the implied volatility of S&P/ASX 200 options, was up 0.03% to 12.735.

Gold Futures for April delivery was up 0.28% or 3.75 to $1325.85 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in April rose 0.59% or 0.33 to hit $56.31 a barrel, while the April Brent oil contract rose 0.33% or 0.22 to trade at $66.47 a barrel.

AUD/USD was up 0.10% to 0.7146, while AUD/JPY rose 0.29% to 79.00.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.10% at 96.645.

Investing.com - The shares of Hong Kong-listed insurance giant Ping An Insurance (HK:2318) jumped almost 3% on Monday after the company said it is launching a low-fee exchange-traded funds (ETF) product.

According to a prospectus and industry data that were cited by Bloomberg, Ping An Fund Management Co., the fund arm, will offer an ETF tracking ChiNext startup stocks with a management fee of 0.15%, far lower than the industry average of 0.5%. Its 0.05% custodian fee is also just half of the 0.1% average.

“Technological upgrades and institutional demand prompted us” to introduce the product, the Ping An unit said in an e-mailed statement that was cited by Bloomberg. ETFs with “appropriate, reasonable fees” are more attractive in the long term and support market stability, it said.

The move echoed the approach of Vanguard Group, which tripled its ETF-market share to 26% in the U.S. over the course of a decade by cutting costs.

Vanguard has now amassed more than $5 trillion of client assets after offering low-cost funds to millions of Americans, Bloomberg noted.

Investing.com – Israel stocks were higher after the close on Sunday, as gains in the Insurance, Biomed and Oil&Gas sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Tel Aviv, the TA 35 added 0.71% to hit a new 1-month high.

The best performers of the session on the TA 35 were Liveperson (TA:LPSN), which rose 2.53% or 238 points to trade at 9630 at the close. Meanwhile, OPKO Health Inc (TA:OPK) added 2.49% or 25 points to end at 1031 and Gazit Globe Ltd (TA:GZT) was up 2.13% or 61 points to 2927 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Nice Ltd (TA:NICE), which fell 1.95% or 830 points to trade at 41720 at the close. Ormat Technologies (TA:ORA) declined 0.24% or 50 points to end at 20750 and Isramco Negev 2 LP (TA:ISRAp) was 0.00% or 0.0 points to 41.0.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange by 236 to 141 and 39 ended unchanged.

Crude oil for April delivery was unchanged 0.00% or 0.00 to $55.98 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in April rose 2.69% or 1.74 to hit $66.31 a barrel, while the April Gold Futures contract rose 0.83% or 10.85 to trade at $1324.75 a troy ounce.

USD/ILS was up 0.06% to 3.6202, while EUR/ILS rose 0.08% to 4.0892.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.06% at 96.745.

Investing.com – Saudi Arabia stocks were lower after the close on Sunday, as losses in the Retail, Telecoms&IT and Energy&Utilities sectors led shares lower.

At the close in Saudi Arabia, the Tadawul All Share declined 0.40%.

The best performers of the session on the Tadawul All Share were Saudi Cable Company (SE:2110), which rose 6.38% or 2.85 points to trade at 47.50 at the close. Meanwhile, Qassim Agriculture Co. (SE:6020) added 4.27% or 0.50 points to end at 12.20 and Allied Cooperative Insurance Group (SE:8150) was up 3.83% or 0.88 points to 23.88 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Abdullah A. M. Al-Khodari Sons Co (SE:1330), which fell 9.86% or 0.56 points to trade at 5.12 at the close. Amana Cooperative Insurance Co (SE:8310) declined 3.73% or 0.64 points to end at 16.54 and The Company for Coop. Insurance (SE:8010) was down 2.40% or 1.40 points to 56.90.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Saudi Arabia Stock Exchange by 99 to 75 and 15 ended unchanged.

Shares in Abdullah A. M. Al-Khodari Sons Co (SE:1330) fell to all time lows; losing 9.86% or 0.56 to 5.12. Shares in Allied Cooperative Insurance Group (SE:8150) rose to 3-years highs; rising 3.83% or 0.88 to 23.88.

Crude oil for April delivery was unchanged 0.00% or 0.00 to $55.98 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in April rose 2.69% or 1.74 to hit $66.31 a barrel, while the April Gold Futures contract rose 0.83% or 10.85 to trade at $1324.75 a troy ounce.

EUR/SAR was up 0.03% to 4.2362, while USD/SAR rose 0.01% to 3.7504.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.06% at 96.745.

Investing.com - This week precious metal traders will closely monitor movements in the U.S. dollar, one of the biggest drivers for gold, with U.S.-China trade talks continuing in Washington and Federal Reserve minutes and U.S. economic reports on tap.

Both the U.S. and China reported progress in trade negotiations last week, but President Donald Trump said Friday that the talks were “very complicated" and that he might extend the March 1 deadline and keep tariffs on Chinese goods from rising.

U.S. duties on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports are set to rise from 10% to 25% if no deal is reached by the deadline.

The Fed on Wednesday is due to publish the minutes of its January meeting where its kept rates on hold and surprised markets by shifting to a more dovish stance on future rate hikes, citing subdued inflation and rising risks to global economic growth.

This week will also see speeches from a number of Fed officials, including New York Fed President John Williams and St. Louis Fed head James Bullard.

Market watchers will be looking ahead to Thursday’s durable goods report for an update on the health of the manufacturing sector, while a report on existing home sales the same day will give fresh insight into the housing sector, which lost momentum late last year amid higher interest rates and property prices.

Gold prices settled at the highest level in two weeks on Friday as indications of progress U.S.-China trade talks were seen as bullish for the yellow metal.

Gold futures ended up 0.83% at $1,324.75 on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange late Friday, after rising as high as $1,325.80 earlier.

While gold posted a small weekly gain, it was rangebound for most of the week, with gains on Friday stemmed by a rebound in stocks.

"Gold (price action) is like watching oil evaporate. The market is continually bearish at lows and bullish at highs with actual breaks infrequent," said Tai Wong, head of base and precious metals derivatives trading at BMO.

"The end of the (Fed) tightening cycle now looms which improves the overall backdrop for gold significantly. With the Fed on hold, there is less pressure for the rest of the globe to keep pace."

The metal gained 0.5% in the previous session after weak U.S. retail sales data added to concerns over slowing growth, which could prompt the Fed to hold interest rates steady for a while. Gold is highly sensitive to rising interest rates, as these increase the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding bullion.

"The world economy is slowing very rapidly and therefore monetary policy everywhere will be eased, so the outlook is a lot more inflationary, helping gold," said Alasdair Macleod, head of research at GoldMoney.com.

Elsewhere in metals trading, silver was up 1.46% to $15.75 a troy ounce, paring the week’s losses to 0.42%, for a second straight weekly decline.

Copper ended at $2.816, up 1.51% for the day but ended the week lower, snapping five weeks of gains.

Ahead of the coming week, Investing.com has compiled a list of significant events likely to affect the markets.

Monday, February 18

The U.K. is to publish industry data on house price inflation.

Financial markets in the U.S. will be closed for Washington’s Birthday, more widely known as President’s Day.

Tuesday, February 19

The Reserve Bank of Australia is to publish the minutes of its latest policy setting meeting.

The U.K. is to publish its monthly jobs report.

The ZEW Institute is to publish a report on German economic sentiment.

Wednesday, February 20

Australia is to publish data on the wage price index.

The Federal Reserve is to publish the minutes of its January rate setting meeting.

Thursday, February 21

Australia is to release its jobs report.

The euro zone is to release data on private sector business activity.

The European Central Bank is to publish its meeting minutes.

The U.S. is to release data on durable goods orders, jobless claims, existing home sales and manufacturing activity in the Philadelphia area.

Friday, February 22

The Ifo Institute is to publish a report on German business climate.

The euro zone is to release revised inflation data.

Canada is scheduled to produce data on retail sales.

ECB President Mario Draghi is to speak at an event in Bologna.

A number of Fed officials, including New York Fed President John Williams, St. Louis Fed head James Bullard and Fed Governors Randal Quarles and Richard Clarida are to speak at the U.S. Monetary Policy Forum, in New York.

-Reuters contributed to this report

Investing.com - Despite a holiday-shortened week in the U.S. the economic calendar for this week is busy, with U.S.-China trade talks continuing in Washington and Federal Reserve minutes and U.S. economic reports on tap.

Both the U.S. and China reported progress in trade negotiations last week, but President Donald Trump said Friday that the talks were “very complicated" and that he might extend the March 1 deadline and keep tariffs on Chinese goods from rising.

U.S. duties on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports are set to rise from 10% to 25% if no deal is reached by the deadline.

The Fed on Wednesday is due to publish the minutes of its January meeting where its kept rates on hold and surprised markets by shifting to a more dovish stance on future rate hikes, citing subdued inflation and rising risks to global economic growth.

This week will also see speeches from a number of Fed officials, including New York Fed President John Williams and St. Louis Fed head James Bullard.

Market watchers will be looking ahead to Thursday’s durable goods report for an update on the health of the manufacturing sector, while a report on existing home sales the same day will give fresh insight into the housing sector, which lost momentum late last year amid higher interest rates and property prices.

The U.S. dollar slid lower on Friday after San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly suggested the central bank may hold off on raising interest rates in 2019.

The dollar index, which measures the currency against a basket of six rivals, was at 96.74 late Friday, after a week that included several weak data reports, including dismal U.S. retail sales.

The fall in the dollar saw the euro pull back from a three month low hit earlier in the day.

"All of this looks like a positive risk tone in markets on dovish Fed comments from Daly which go further than what other Fed speakers have said," said Richard Franulovich, senior currency strategist at Westpac Banking Corp. "That I think is what has undermined the dollar and pulled the euro up."

Despite Friday’s recovery the single currency posted a second week of losses and is down 1.7% year to date on weaker-than-expected euro zone data.

The dollar was flat against the yen late Friday, with USD/JPY ending at 110.48.

Elsewhere, sterling ended little changed at 1.2894 after British Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday suffered a largely symbolic defeat on her Brexit strategy.

Ahead of the coming week, Investing.com has compiled a list of significant events likely to affect the markets.

Monday, February 18

The U.K. is to publish industry data on house price inflation.

Financial markets in the U.S. will be closed for Washington’s Birthday, more widely known as President’s Day.

Tuesday, February 19

The Reserve Bank of Australia is to publish the minutes of its latest policy setting meeting.

The U.K. is to publish its monthly jobs report.

The ZEW Institute is to publish a report on German economic sentiment.

Wednesday, February 20

Australia is to publish data on the wage price index.

The Fed is to publish the minutes of its January rate setting meeting.

Thursday, February 21

Australia is to release its jobs report.

The euro zone is to release data on private sector business activity.

The European Central Bank is to publish its meeting minutes.

The U.S. is to release data on durable goods orders, jobless claims, existing home sales and manufacturing activity in the Philadelphia area.

Friday, February 22

The Ifo Institute is to publish a report on German business climate.

The euro zone is to release revised inflation data.

Canada is scheduled to produce data on retail sales.

ECB President Mario Draghi is to speak at an event in Bologna.

A number of Fed officials, including New York Fed President John Williams, St. Louis Fed head James Bullard and Fed Governors Randal Quarles and Richard Clarida are to speak at the U.S. Monetary Policy Forum, in New York.

-- Reuters contributed to this report

Investing.com - Here’s a look at three things that were under the radar this past week.

1. Will Valentine’s Magic Continue for Oil?

Are oil bulls off to the races? Those long Brent or playing its spread versus U.S. WTI would have rubbed their hands with glee as the U.K. benchmark hit the key $65 per barrel level this week.

But if analysts at Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) are right, that’s probably as much love as oil will get near term.

“We continue to see modest upside for Brent to $65/bbl in 2H,” the Wall Street bank said in an energy note this week, referring to second-half prospects.

Morgan Stanley agrees supply has tightened from relentless Saudi production cuts, reflected by the market’s recovery from Christmas Eve lows of around $50 for Brent and under $43 for WTI.

But it contends that a major imbalance has emerged and that’s the presence of too much light oil.

Together with modest gasoline demand, this is weighing on refinery margins and crude runs.

“Low refining margins and weaker economic data means oil prices can rally only so much,” it concludes.

The theory of an oil rally running on less-than-firm legs was reinforced by Thursday’s run-up, which came on the back of Saudi jawboning about upcoming production cuts and optimism over U.S.-China trade talks, despite mitigating weak U.S. crude supply-demand and economic data.

Scott Shelton, energy futures broker at ICAP (LON:NXGN) in Durham, N.C., notes that there was no real event driving the market the past few days but "prices are just strong."

The Energy Information Administration says a new swell of U.S. light oil is headed to the market, boosted by technology to unlock production from shale formations.

Those efforts could add 1.45 million barrels per day to U.S. production this year, bringing output to a record 12.41 million bpd. Next year’s output could go up by a further 790,000 bpd to a new all-time high of 13.2 million bpd.

2. Wage Hikes Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

Small businesses have a knack of figuring out when the economic wind is about to change. And they signaled in a survey this week that trouble may be on the horizon.

In a day and age when companies are grappling with a shortage of skilled labor, a hefty wage package has proven effective bait to reel in top talent.

But small businesses indicated this week they don't plan on feeding the wage machine much longer as they expect the economy to falter, leading to cheaper labor.

With near-term wages growing faster than expected future wages, the compensation spread, which measures the difference between what small businesses will pay for labor now against what they are willing to pay in the future, is at the biggest margin in history, according to an NFIB survey.

The survey is sourced by economists for a read on domestic demand and to extrapolate hiring and wage trends in the broader economy. Wage growth is what keeps consumption ticking over and inflation on pace, staving off the risk of the economy flatlining, barring a Federal Reserve or government policy misstep.

Most importantly, the compensation curve has moved fairly in tandem with a Treasury yield curve.

Inverted yield curves have preceded every U.S. recession in recent history by anywhere from 15 months to around two years.

3. U.S. Government Debt Expectations Jump

The expectations for government debt rose sharply in January, according to a latest survey by the New York Federal Reserve published this week.

The median year-ahead expected growth in debt rose to 9.1% last month from 6.1% in December, the New York Fed said. That is the highest reading since September 2014, when it was 9.2%.

That could have market implications this year if the government pushes for policies like real negative interest rates to reduce the debt level. The 10-Year Treasury real interest rate, which is adjusted for inflation, is currently around 0.85%.

But so far the Trump administration has shown no interest in reducing the debt level.

When asked about whether President Donald Trump would mention the deficit or debt in the State of the Union, White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney reportedly replied “Nobody cares.”

Investing.com - The Dow wrapped up the week in strong form Friday, notching an eighth-straight week of gains as optimism that the U.S. and China were closing in on a trade deal triggered a sea of green across Wall Street.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.74%, the S&P 500 added 1.09%, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.61%.

The Dow finished up 3.1% for the week, with the S&P 500 up 2.5% and the Nasdaq 2.4% higher. The Dow's close was its best since early November. The S&P and Nasdaq finished at their highest levels since Dec. 3.

With just weeks to go until the March 1 deadline, President Donald Trump offered an optimistic update on the second round of U.S.-China trade talks, prompting traders to turn bullish on stocks.

Trump said that trade talks "are going extremely well," stressing that the United States is closer than ever to "having a real trade deal" with China.

Without a trade deal secured by March 1, the U.S. could implement further tariffs on China. Trump said, however, that he would be "honored" to remove tariffs if an agreement can be reached.

The newfound optimism on trade pushed energy stocks sharply higher, as traders had long feared a prolonged trade war would hurt economic growth in China, the world's largest oil consumer, denting oil demand.

Trade has been not only weighed on market sentiment but also on corporate earnings.

Tractor supplier Deere (NYSE:DE) posted a rare earnings miss, blaming higher raw material costs and concerns over tariffs and trade policies. Its shares fell 2%.

Financials, mostly bank stocks, also led the market higher thanks to solid gains from Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS), JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM) and Citigroup (NYSE:C).

Newell Brands (NASDAQ:NWL) plunged 18% after reporting fourth-quarter revenue that fell below estimates from Investing.com. The company also singled out trade tensions as factor that hurt results.

In tech, a surge in semis was led by Nvidia following the chipmakers' quarterly results and guidance from a day earlier.

Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) closed 2% higher at $157.34, but well below session highs of $163.87 as Wall Street doubted the company's guidance for a large jump in fourth-quarter revenue amid an uncertain backdrop for many of its businesses. It makes graphics chips that are often used in computers aimed at gamers.

Morgan Stanley said Nvidia is facing several challenges across different parts of the business at the same time, which "create quite a bit of idiosyncratic risk, and many variables that are 'unknowable'."

Top S&P 500 Gainers and Losers Today:

Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET), CenturyLink (NYSE:CTL) and American International (NYSE:AIG) were among the top S&P 500 gainers for the session.

Newell Brands (NASDAQ:NWL) , Mattel (NASDAQ:MAT) and Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) were among the worst S&P 500 performers of the session.

Investing.com – Canada stocks were higher after the close on Friday, as gains in the Energy, Industrials and Financials sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Toronto, the S&P/TSX Composite added 0.94% to hit a new 3-months high.

The best performers of the session on the S&P/TSX Composite were Toromont Industries Ltd . (TO:TIH), which rose 10.04% or 5.98 points to trade at 65.53 at the close. Meanwhile, Sierra Wireless Inc . (TO:SW) added 9.69% or 1.46 points to end at 16.52 and Lundin Mining Corporation (TO:LUN) was up 7.00% or 0.425 points to 6.495 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were MTY Food Group Inc (TO:MTY), which fell 12.55% or 8.77 points to trade at 61.09 at the close. Cineplex Inc . (TO:CGX) declined 7.40% or 2.01 points to end at 25.14 and New Gold Inc (TO:NGD) was down 6.67% or 0.080 points to 1.120.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Toronto Stock Exchange by 645 to 412 and 140 ended unchanged.

The S&P/TSX 60 VIX, which measures the implied volatility of S&P/TSX Composite options, was down 9.77% to 14.41 a new 1-month low.

Gold Futures for April delivery was up 0.82% or 10.75 to $1324.65 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in March rose 2.43% or 1.32 to hit $55.73 a barrel, while the April Brent oil contract rose 2.66% or 1.72 to trade at $66.29 a barrel.

CAD/USD was up 0.34% to 0.7548, while CAD/EUR rose 0.43% to 0.6683.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.07% at 96.740.

Investing.com - DuPont (NYSE:DWDP) rose by 3.06% to trade at $54.27 by 15:58 (20:58 GMT) on Friday on the NYSE exchange.

The volume of DuPont shares traded since the start of the session was 10.74M. DuPont has traded in a range of $53.13 to $54.28 on the day.

The stock has traded at $54.2800 at its highest and $50.8300 at its lowest during the past seven days.

Investing.com - Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) rose by 3.11% to trade at $29.28 by 12:42 (17:42 GMT) on Friday on the NYSE exchange.

The volume of Bank of America shares traded since the start of the session was 32.26M. Bank of America has traded in a range of $28.67 to $29.28 on the day.

The stock has traded at $29.2800 at its highest and $27.8600 at its lowest during the past seven days.

Investing.com – France stocks were higher after the close on Friday, as gains in the Industrials, Utilities and Technology sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Paris, the CAC 40 rose 1.79% to hit a new 3-months high, while the SBF 120 index added 1.64%.

The best performers of the session on the CAC 40 were Vivendi SA (PA:VIV), which rose 5.63% or 1.28 points to trade at 24.01 at the close. Meanwhile, Valeo SA (PA:VLOF) added 4.75% or 1.19 points to end at 26.26 and BNP Paribas SA (PA:BNPP) was up 4.19% or 1.70 points to 42.11 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Publicis Groupe SA (PA:PUBP), which fell 0.29% or 0.14 points to trade at 47.67 at the close. EssilorLuxottica SA (PA:ESLX) declined 0.28% or 0.30 points to end at 105.80 and Hermes International SCA (PA:HRMS) was down 0.11% or 0.60 points to 540.80.

The top performers on the SBF 120 were Bollore SA (PA:BOLL) which rose 6.68% to 3.704, Ipsen SA (PA:IPN) which was up 6.02% to settle at 125.10 and Plastic Omnium (PA:PLOF) which gained 5.73% to close at 24.56.

The worst performers were Eutelsat Communications SA (PA:ETL) which was down 5.96% to 17.68 in late trade, Electricite de France SA (PA:EDF) which lost 5.76% to settle at 13.99 and Groupe FNAC (PA:FNAC) which was down 4.57% to 64.700 at the close.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Paris Stock Exchange by 352 to 211 and 105 ended unchanged.

Shares in Vivendi SA (PA:VIV) rose to 52-week highs; up 5.63% or 1.28 to 24.01. Shares in EssilorLuxottica SA (PA:ESLX) fell to 52-week lows; down 0.28% or 0.30 to 105.80.

The CAC 40 VIX, which measures the implied volatility of CAC 40 options, was down 7.89% to 14.31.

Gold Futures for April delivery was up 0.50% or 6.55 to $1320.45 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in March rose 2.11% or 1.15 to hit $55.56 a barrel, while the April Brent oil contract rose 2.31% or 1.49 to trade at $66.06 a barrel.

EUR/USD was down 0.23% to 1.1274, while EUR/GBP fell 0.64% to 0.8758.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.08% at 96.882.

Investing.com – Denmark stocks were higher after the close on Friday, as gains in the Industrials, Financials and Consumer Services sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Copenhagen, the OMX Copenhagen 20 gained 0.58% to hit a new 3-months high.

The best performers of the session on the OMX Copenhagen 20 were Ambu A/S (CO:AMBUb), which rose 2.55% or 4.0 points to trade at 160.7 at the close. Meanwhile, DSV (CO:DSV) added 2.29% or 12.0 points to end at 535.6 and ISS A/S (CO:ISS) was up 1.84% or 3.50 points to 193.60 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were GN Store Nord (CO:GN), which fell 0.99% or 3.0 points to trade at 299.0 at the close. Oersted A/S (CO:ORSTED) declined 0.88% or 4.20 points to end at 474.30 and William Demant Holding AS (CO:WDH) was down 0.81% or 1.8 points to 219.6.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange by 76 to 46 and 25 ended unchanged.

Crude oil for March delivery was up 2.17% or 1.18 to $55.59 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in April rose 2.34% or 1.51 to hit $66.08 a barrel, while the April Gold Futures contract rose 0.49% or 6.45 to trade at $1320.35 a troy ounce.

USD/DKK was up 0.22% to 6.6182, while EUR/DKK rose 0.04% to 7.4620.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.08% at 96.882.

Investing.com – U.K. stocks were higher after the close on Friday, as gains in the Automobiles&Parts, Industrial Metals&Mining and Oil Equipment Services&Distribution sectors led shares higher.

At the close in London, the Investing.com United Kingdom 100 added 0.56% to hit a new 3-months high.

The best performers of the session on the Investing.com United Kingdom 100 were Coca Cola HBC AG (LON:CCH), which rose 4.02% or 99.0 points to trade at 2562.0 at the close. Meanwhile, Tesco PLC (LON:TSCO) added 2.89% or 6.30 points to end at 224.20 and Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC (LON:RBS) was up 2.44% or 5.90 points to 247.50 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Standard Life Aberdeen PLC (LON:SLA), which fell 5.96% or 14.80 points to trade at 233.75 at the close. Kingfisher PLC (LON:KGF) declined 3.05% or 7.10 points to end at 225.50 and Next PLC (LON:NXT) was down 2.11% or 102.00 points to 4724.00.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the London Stock Exchange by 1197 to 838 and 325 ended unchanged.

Gold Futures for April delivery was up 0.48% or 6.25 to $1320.15 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in March rose 2.21% or 1.20 to hit $55.61 a barrel, while the April Brent oil contract rose 2.25% or 1.45 to trade at $66.02 a barrel.

GBP/USD was up 0.42% to 1.2865, while EUR/GBP fell 0.59% to 0.8762.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.10% at 96.903.

Investing.com - PNC Financial (NYSE:PNC) rose by 3.03% to trade at $124.27 by 12:07 (17:07 GMT) on Friday on the NYSE exchange.

The volume of PNC Financial shares traded since the start of the session was 973.97K. PNC Financial has traded in a range of $121.56 to $124.27 on the day.

The stock has traded at $125.2900 at its highest and $119.4000 at its lowest during the past seven days.

Investing.com – Sweden stocks were higher after the close on Friday, as gains in the Industrials, Basic Materials and Financials sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Stockholm, the OMX Stockholm 30 added 1.37% to hit a new 3-months high.

The best performers of the session on the OMX Stockholm 30 were Atlas Copco AB Class A (ST:ATCOa), which rose 3.05% or 7.5 points to trade at 251.6 at the close. Meanwhile, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB A (ST:SEBa) added 2.96% or 2.82 points to end at 98.16 and Sandvik AB (ST:SAND) was up 2.82% or 4.15 points to 151.15 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were H&M Hennes&Mauritz AB B (ST:HMb), which fell 1.47% or 2.0 points to trade at 136.4 at the close. Tele2 AB (ST:TEL2b) declined 1.33% or 1.60 points to end at 118.45 and Skanska AB ser. B (ST:SKAb) was down 0.18% or 0.30 points to 162.60.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Stockholm Stock Exchange by 410 to 232 and 51 ended unchanged.

Crude oil for March delivery was up 2.17% or 1.18 to $55.59 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in April rose 2.25% or 1.45 to hit $66.02 a barrel, while the April Gold Futures contract rose 0.43% or 5.65 to trade at $1319.55 a troy ounce.

EUR/SEK was down 0.25% to 10.4656, while USD/SEK fell 0.04% to 9.2862.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.11% at 96.912.

Investing.com - PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) rose by 3.16% to trade at $116.13 by 11:28 (16:28 GMT) on Friday on the NASDAQ exchange.

The volume of PepsiCo shares traded since the start of the session was 3.90M. PepsiCo has traded in a range of $114.11 to $116.15 on the day.

The stock has traded at $116.1300 at its highest and $111.8600 at its lowest during the past seven days.

Investing.com – Turkey stocks were higher after the close on Friday, as gains in the Information Technology, Wholesale&Retail Trade and Technology sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Istanbul, the BIST 100 gained 0.57%.

The best performers of the session on the BIST 100 were Turkiye Is Bankasi AS Class C (IS:ISCTR), which rose 3.76% or 0.210 points to trade at 5.790 at the close. Meanwhile, GSD Holding AS (IS:GSDHO) added 3.30% or 0.030 points to end at 0.940 and Otokar Otomotiv ve Savunma Sanayi AS (IS:OTKAR) was up 3.23% or 3.50 points to 112.00 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Tat Gida Sanayi AS (IS:TATGD), which fell 8.29% or 0.360 points to trade at 3.980 at the close. Aygaz AS (IS:AYGAZ) declined 3.44% or 0.39 points to end at 10.94 and Turk Hava Yollari AO (IS:THYAO) was down 3.32% or 0.470 points to 13.690.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Istanbul Stock Exchange by 209 to 135 and 62 ended unchanged.

Gold Futures for April delivery was up 0.29% or 3.75 to $1317.65 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in March rose 1.82% or 0.99 to hit $55.40 a barrel, while the April Brent oil contract rose 1.67% or 1.08 to trade at $65.65 a barrel.

USD/TRY was up 0.57% to 5.3003, while EUR/TRY rose 0.32% to 5.9715.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.15% at 96.953.