World shares mostly lower after Wall Street's strong start to the year
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[January 08, 2026] By
CHAN HO-HIM
HONG KONG (AP) — World shares were mostly lower and U.S. futures also
declined on Thursday as the new year's rally on Wall Street faded.
In Europe, Britain’s FTSE 100 fell 0.3% to 10,015.45 in early trading,
while the CAC 40 in Paris lost 0.2% to 8,217.55. Germany's DAX dropped
0.1% to 25,097.16.
The futures for the S&P 500 declined more than 0.2%, and the Dow Jones
Industrial Average futures dropped 0.3%.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 dropped 1.6% on Thursday to 51,117.26, with
technology stocks among those leading the decline. SoftBank, which
focuses on tech investments, dropped 7.6%, while semiconductor equipment
maker Tokyo Electron dipped 4%.
Hong Kong’s benchmark Hang Seng lost 1.2% to 26,149.31, although shares
of OpenAI’s Chinese rival Zhipu rose as much as around 15% above their
offer price in the company's trading debut.
The Shanghai Composite index fell nearly 0.1% to 4,082.98.
South Korea’s Kospi, which reached record high levels this week, mostly
flatlined Thursday, adding less than 0.1% to 4,552.37.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 added 0.3% to 8,720.80, while Taiwan’s
Taiex slid more than 0.2%.
Wall Street’s optimism for the start of the year faded Wednesday, in
part after some stocks were hit by fresh comments from President Donald
Trump that could bar large investors from buying single-family homes.
The S&P 500 fell 0.3% from an all-time high to 6,920.93. The Dow Jones
Industrial Average dropped 0.9% to 48,996.08. The Nasdaq composite added
0.2% to 23,584.27.
Trump said on his social media network Wednesday that he would move to
block large institutional investors from buying single-family homes — in
an attempt to address the country's housing affordability issue.
Homebuilders fell sharply. D.R. Horton shed 3.6% and PulteGroup dropped
3.2%.
Warner Bros. Discovery on Wednesday rejected a revised buyout bid from
Paramount, as it told its shareholders to stick with Netflix's offer.
Warner Bros. Discovery rose 0.4%, Netflix added 0.1% while Paramount
Skydance fell 1%.
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A dealer watches computer monitors at a dealing room of Hana Bank in
Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
 Oil prices rose on Thursday after
the U.S. seized two oil tankers as Trump’s administration sought to
assert control over Venezuelan oil. That also followed Trump’s
earlier remarks that Venezuela would provide 30 million to 50
million barrels of oil to the U.S.
Benchmark U.S. crude rose 0.2% to $56.22 per barrel. Brent crude
rose 0.3% to $60.22 per barrel.
Oil prices have been volatile this week, as markets assess risks
after the U.S. ousted Nicolás Maduro as Venezuela’s president.
Venezuela has some of the world’s largest oil reserves.
In bond markets, U.S. Treasury yields swung following mixed reports
on the U.S. economy. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.14%
from 4.18%, and the two-year yield held at 3.46%.
One report reflected a more substantial pick up in U.S. services
sector activity in December than what economists expected. But
separate reports on the U.S. job market offered a mixed view. One
suggested that businesses and government agencies posted far fewer
job openings in November compared with the month before. Another
report said businesses added 41,000 jobs in December.
The U.S. Labor Department is expected to release its monthly job
report for December on Friday, which could offer a more
comprehensive look.
In other dealings early Thursday, the dollar fell to 156.53 yen,
down from 156.77 yen.
The euro rose to $1.1682 from $1.1677.
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