Asian equities pushed higher while European benchmarks diverged in the latest global market session, according to News on AIR. South Korea’s Kospi index gained almost 3.6 per cent, and Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose around 1.2 per cent, the report said. In Europe, Germany’s DAX was trading 0.4 per cent up, while London’s FTSE 100 dropped 0.3 per cent when reports last came in.
Asian Indices Lead Regional Session
Among the benchmarks tracked by News on AIR, South Korea’s Kospi recorded the sharper advance, gaining almost 3.6 per cent, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose around 1.2 per cent. That put the Kospi’s gain at roughly three times the Nikkei’s rise. The session left the two Asian indices in positive territory at the time of reporting. The News on AIR report did not specify sector-level contributors, trading volumes, or the underlying drivers of the regional move.
European Benchmarks Show Mixed Response
European indices showed a mixed response, according to News on AIR. Germany’s DAX was trading 0.4 per cent up, while London’s FTSE 100 dropped 0.3 per cent when reports last came in. No figures were cited for other major European exchanges in the report.
UK GDP Growth Slows in Second Quarter
On the economic front, the United Kingdom’s real gross domestic product is estimated to have increased by 0.4 per cent in the April-to-June quarter of this year, down from growth of 0.6 per cent in the first quarter, according to GDP figures released today by the Office for National Statistics and carried by News on AIR.
The deceleration brings second-quarter growth 0.2 percentage points below the 0.6 per cent first-quarter pace. On a month-on-month basis, GDP grew by 0.3 per cent in June, after registering no growth in the previous month, the same ONS release showed.
Market and Macro Snapshot
The table below summarises the latest readings cited by News on AIR.
| Indicator | Latest reading |
|---|---|
| South Korea Kospi | Gained almost 3.6% |
| Japan Nikkei 225 | Rose around 1.2% |
| Germany DAX | Trading 0.4% up |
| London FTSE 100 | Dropped 0.3% |
| UK real GDP, Q2 (April–June) | +0.4% estimated |
| UK real GDP, Q1 | +0.6% |
| UK monthly GDP, June | +0.3% |
| UK monthly GDP, previous month | No growth |
Taken together, the figures show Asia’s two cited benchmarks outperforming Europe’s two cited indices at the time of reporting, while UK growth decelerated sequentially between the first and second quarters. For investors tracking global equity sentiment, the Kospi’s near-3.6 per cent gain marks the most pronounced move in the report, and the ONS data points to a cooling but still positive UK expansion. Further detail on the drivers behind the index moves was not included in the News on AIR report.
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