Seoul Gazette - Stocks mostly rise, oil jumps tracking AI and Iran

Indices across Asia and Europe were mainly in the green despite Wall Street's Nasdaq losing more than one percent Thursday.

"European markets continue to show their resilience, with indices throughout the region continuing to gain ground in the face of US tech-led losses," noted Joshua Mahony, chief market analyst at Scope Markets.

Nvidia's share price slumped 5.5 percent Thursday despite the chip giant announcing that its quarterly profits more than doubled to $43 billion.

"Market expectations were already very elevated and part of the positive results had been priced in," said City Index analyst Julian Pineda.

"There are also concerns related to stretched valuations and Nvidia's dependence on capital spending by large technology companies investing in AI infrastructure.

"If the pace of AI investment moderates due to cost optimisation efforts, it could indirectly affect Nvidia's growth outlook," Pineda added.

Elsewhere on Friday, oil prices jumped almost two percent as Iran said that in order to reach a deal, the United States will have to drop its "excessive demands", tempering the optimism expressed after talks seen as a last-ditch bid to avert war.

The Oman-mediated talks follow repeated threats from President Donald Trump to strike Iran, and with the United States conducting its biggest military build-up in the region in decades.

Trump on February 19 gave Iran 15 days to reach a deal, and while Iran has insisted the discussions focus solely on its nuclear programme, the US wants Tehran's missile programme and its support for militant groups curtailed.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Trump's negotiating team would demand that Iran dismantle its three main nuclear sites and hand over all its remaining enriched uranium to the United States.

"For oil prices, we have seen significant fluctuations as traders weigh up the likeliness of a conflict," said Mahony.

- Key figures at around 1100 GMT -

London - FTSE 100: UP 0.4 percent at 10,886.02 points

Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.2 percent at 8,602.58

Frankfurt - DAX: FLAT at 25,292.49

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.2 percent at 58,850.27 (close)

Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 1.0 percent at 26,630.54 (close)

Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.4 percent at 4,162.88 (close)

New York - Dow: FLAT at 49,499.20 (close)

Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1801 from $1.1799 on Thursday

Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3474 from $1.3489

Dollar/yen: DOWN at 156.00 yen from 156.11 yen

Euro/pound: UP at 87.58 pence from 87.47 pence

Brent North Sea Crude: UP 1.8 percent at $72.11 per barrel

West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.9 percent at $66.46 per barrel

O.Na--SG