European banks were up 0.8%, with travel and leisure, household goods and retail all advancing more than 0.4%.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Germany’s DAX<\/a> was up 0.39%, the Italian FTSE MIB<\/a> added 0.37%, and the French CAC 40<\/a> gained 0.23%. \u00a0But the U.K.’s FTSE 100<\/a> retreated in early trade, moving 0.11% lower.<\/p>\n Kospi soars as Asia-Pacific markets end mixed<\/p>\n Asia-Pacific markets ended mixed Thursday. Kospi<\/a> rose 3.6% to end at 6,813.34, while the small-cap Kosdaq index added 0.29% to close at 861.37.<\/p>\n Japan’s Nikkei 225 added 1.16% to 68,308.59, while the Topix ended 0.89% higher at 4,176.04<\/p>\n Australia’s benchmark\u00a0S&P\/ASX 200<\/a> lost 0.23% to 9,188.5.<\/p>\n Mainland China’s CSI 300 declined 0.57% to 4,663.95. <\/p>\n Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index<\/a> was down 0.38% as of its final hour of trade.<\/p>\n \u2014 Lee Ying Shan<\/p>\n Anthropic investors eye record $2 trillion IPO: FT<\/p>\n The Financial Times reported<\/a> Wednesday morning that Anthropic investors expect the company’s valuation to exceed $2 trillion when it makes its stock market debut. <\/p>\n Anthropic could go public<\/a> as soon as October, with its investors targeting a record valuation of $2 trillion, according to the Financial Times. <\/p>\n The AI start-up is reportedly targeting a listing this year, but has not officially set a date for an IPO. <\/p>\n Citing half a dozen investors in the company, the FT said Anthropic’s surging revenues meant it would be able to more than double its current valuation by the autumn. <\/p>\n A $2 trillion float would give the company the largest IPO in history, surpassing SpaceX<\/a>, which went public at a valuation<\/a> of \u00a31.77 trillion in June. SpaceX shares have since seen volatile trading, dropping substantially after a post-IPO rally and closing<\/a> above their IPO price for the first time in weeks on Monday. <\/p>\n \u2014 Chloe Taylor<\/p>\n U.K. economy grew 0.4% in second quarter with surprise jump in business investment <\/p>\n Alexander Spatari | Moment | Getty Images<\/p>\n Business investment in the U.K. jumped 1.7% in the second quarter, beating the 0.5% drop expected by Reuters, as GDP rose in the three months to the end of June.<\/p>\n Real GDP increased 0.4% in the second quarter, down from 0.6% in the previous quarter, but in line with expectations, the U.K.’s Office for National Statistics said Thursday. Monthly GDP was up 0.3%, following no growth in May.<\/p>\n Within gross fixed capital formation \u2014 which tracks national investment in productive assets \u2014 the surprise 1.7% jump in business investment was fueled by IT, communications, machinery and other hardware investment, the ONS said.<\/p>\n Business investment is now estimated to be 0.8% higher than the same quarter a year ago.<\/p>\n Economists and strategists said second-quarter strength was driven largely by temporary factors, including unusually warm weather and the FIFA World Cup.<\/p>\n Suren Thiru, chief economist at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, warned of a “painful deceleration” in the third quarter, adding that softer economic activity means the chances of a Bank of England rate hike in September remain “slim.”<\/p>\n “Overall, economic activity in the first half of the year has proven more resilient than many expected,” said David Smith, portfolio manager at Henderson High Income. “However, history suggests some caution is warranted, as growth has tended to lose momentum in the second half of the year amid uncertainty ahead of the Budget.”<\/p>\n \u2014Hugh Leask<\/p>\n European markets expected to open Thursday’s session in the green<\/p>\n The sun rises over Paris with a view of the Eiffel Tower as seen from Saint-Cloud, France on August 25, 2025.<\/p>\n Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images<\/p>\n Stoxx 50<\/a> futures were 0.39% higher ahead of the Thursday’s opening bell, with the continent’s main bourses expected to start the session in the green. <\/p>\n The French CAC 40<\/a> led the way, up 0.34% ahead of the market open, with Germany’s DAX<\/a> set to start the day up 0.28%. The Italian FTSE MIB<\/a> was expected to open up 0.33%, and the U.K.’s FTSE 100<\/a> seen opening 0.29% higher.<\/p>\n \u2014Hugh Leask<\/p>\n Asian chip stocks climb as AI enthusiasm returns<\/p>\n Asian semiconductor stocks rallied Thursday, extending a rebound in the region’s technology sector as easing concerns over U.S. rate hikes and renewed optimism around artificial intelligence spending lifted sentiment.<\/p>\n In South Korea, memory-chip heavyweight SK Hynix jumped more than 7%, while Samsung Electronics gained about 5.7%. Other semiconductor-related names also advanced, with LG Innotek up 4.3% and Seoul Semiconductor gaining 1.8%. The moves build on a sharp recovery in Korean chipmakers after a bruising sell-off in recent weeks.<\/p>\n Japanese semiconductor stocks also climbed. Chip-testing equipment maker Advantest<\/a> rose 4.9%, while Tokyo Electron<\/a> gained about 3.2%. Disco<\/a> surged more than 6%, Lasertec<\/a> added about 5.1% while Kioxia<\/a> jumped over 7%.<\/p>\n Taiwan’s TSMC<\/a> edged up 0.62%.<\/p>\n \u2014Lee Ying Shan<\/p>\n Samsonite shares jump 7% after luggage maker agrees to acquire B\u00c9IS<\/p>\n Shares of Samsonite Group<\/a> gained 7.2% on Thursday after the luggage maker announced it had agreed<\/a> to acquire an 85% stake in B\u00c9IS, a U.S.-based lifestyle and travel brand, for $178.5 million.<\/p>\n Founded in 2018, B\u00c9IS targets younger, predominantly female consumers and has expanded into lifestyle bag categories. The brand generated roughly $210 million in net sales in 2025.<\/p>\n Samsonite’s latest acquisition comes as the Hong Kong-listed luggage maker prepares<\/a> for a U.S. dual listing. <\/p>\n \u2014Jenny Lee<\/p>\n Oil rises on worries over supply disruptions as spill near Oman worsens<\/p>\n Oil rose Thursday as recent deadly attacks<\/a> on vessels in the Gulf of Oman and the Red Sea keep markets jittery, while a spill near Oman continues to spread. <\/p>\n Futures for international benchmark Brent crude<\/a> for October delivery gained 1.01% to $88.09 a barrel. U.S.\u00a0West Texas Intermediate\u00a0futures<\/a>\u00a0for September advanced 1.15% to $82.31 per barrel.<\/p>\n Stock Chart IconStock chart icon Brent <\/p>\n Oman’s coastline has reportedly<\/a> started being affected by a massive oil spill caused by a leaking tanker that ran aground June 30 carrying an estimated 800,000 barrels of Russian oil and is under international sanctions, according to Reuters<\/a>. It’s leaking near a nature reserve that’s home to wildlife including Arabian Sea humpback whales and \u200bSocotra cormorants, Reuters reported.<\/p>\n \u2014Justina Lee<\/p>\n Tencent, Foxconn shares fall after second-quarter results <\/p>\n Shares of Tencent Holdings<\/a> fell 3%, while Foxconn<\/a> dropped 2.8% following the release of their second-quarter results Wednesday.<\/p>\n Tencent’s revenue rose<\/a> 11% from a year earlier to 204.78 billion Chinese yuan ($30.36 billion), while net profit attributable to shareholders edged up 0.7% to 56 billion yuan.<\/p>\n Foxconn reported<\/a> a 41% jump in second-quarter revenue to $2.53 trillion New Taiwan dollars, while operating profit rose 68% to NT$94.8 billion. <\/p>\n \u2014 Jenny Lee <\/p>\n South Korea stocks enter bull market as AI trade roars back<\/p>\n South Korean stocks rallied Thursday, lifting the benchmark Kospi into a technical bull market as a global revival in the AI trade fuels a sharp recovery after last month’s historic sell-off.<\/p>\n The Kospi jumped over 4% in early trade, taking its rebound from its July 30 low to roughly 23%, data from LSEG showed.<\/p>\n Index heavyweights Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix led the gains, with the chip giants rising over 4% and 7%, respectively.<\/p>\n \u2014Lee Ying Shan<\/p>\n South Korea\u2019s Kospi rises over 4%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 gains more than 1%<\/p>\n Asia-Pacific markets opened largely in the green on Thursday. South Korea’s Kospi<\/a> rose 4%, while the small-cap Kosdaq added 0.92%.<\/p>\n Japan’s Nikkei 225<\/a> added 1.5%, and the Topix advanced 0.99%.<\/p>\n Australia’s benchmark\u00a0S&P\/ASX 200<\/a> was down 0.12%.<\/p>\n \u2014 Lee Ying Shan<\/p>\n Japan’s Nikkei 225 is set to open higher with focus on producer inflation data<\/p>\n Japan stocks were set to open higher, with focus on the country’s wholesale inflation data.<\/p>\n Japan’s\u00a0Nikkei 225<\/a> Chicago futures contract was trading at 68,585 and its Osaka counterpart was last at 68,550 compared with the index’s previous close of 67,524.06.<\/p>\n Hong Kong’s\u00a0Hang Seng index<\/a>\u00a0futures last traded at 25,320, below the benchmark’s close of 25,440.17.<\/p>\n Futures for Australia’s S&P\/ASX 200<\/a> last traded at 9,128, compared with the index’s Wednesday close of 9,209.4. <\/p>\n Investors also await U.S. wholesale inflation data after consumer inflation came in line with estimates.<\/p>\n The July reading of the U.S. producer price index, which gauges what wholesalers pay for raw goods and materials, is set for release Thursday at 8:30 a.m. ET. Economists polled by Dow Jones expect an increase of 0.2% from the prior month.<\/p>\n \u2014 Lee Ying Shan<\/p>\n Cerebras, Coherent among the stocks making big moves after the bell<\/p>\n Coherent<\/a> \u2014 The photonics company lost almost 3% in extended trading after adjusted gross margin for the fourth quarter was roughly in line with estimates. Non-GAAP gross margin was 40.2%, while the StreetAccount consensus estimate anticipated 40%. Guidance for first quarter earnings and revenue surpassed analysts’ expectations.<\/p>\n Cerebras Systems<\/a> \u2013 Shares of the artificial intelligence chip manufacturer tumbled 14%. Revenue in the second quarter came in at $180 million, versus the $194 million LSEG consensus estimate.<\/p>\n![\"hide](\"https:\/\/static-redesign.cnbcfm.com\/dist\/a54b41835a8b60db28c2.svg\")
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