Global Stocks Little Changed on Friday
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- Global stocks were little changed on the final trading day of 2017 Friday but most stock markets are set to finish this year with gains.
KEEPING SCORE: Britain's FTSE 100 inched up 0.1 percent to 7,633.85. France's CAC 40 dipped 0.1 percent to 5,332.85 and Germany's DAX lost 0.2 percent to 12,955.07. Futures augured a lukewarm start on Wall Street. Dow futures added 0.1 percent while S&P futures also rose 0.1 percent.
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ASIA'S DAY: Most Asian markets finished with modest gains. Japan's Nikkei 225 finished 0.1 percent lower at 22,764.94. The Tokyo benchmark index rose 19 percent in 2017. China's Shanghai Composite Index added 0.3 percent to 3,307.17. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gained 0.2 percent to 29,919.15. But Australia's S&P/ASX 200 went south. It fell 0.4 percent to 6,065.10. South Korean stock markets closed on Thursday.
ANALYST'S TAKE: Looking back the year of 2017, "markets have been disturbingly sanguine about risks," such as North Korean nuclear threats and the U.S. government's new foreign policy to put American interest first, said Mizuho Bank Ltd. in a daily commentary.
OIL: Benchmark U.S. crude rose 24 cents to $60.07 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It rose 20 cents to settle at $59.84 per barrel on Thursday. Brent crude, which is used to price international oils, gained 23 cents to $66.39 per barrel in London.
CURRENCIES: The dollar declined to 112.56 yen from 112.88 yen while the euro strengthened to $1.1985 from $1.1945.
BITCOIN: The price of bitcoin dipped 0.6 percent to $14,341.78 as of 0939 GMT, according to the tracking site CoinDesk.
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