• European bourses opened slightly lower on Thursday morning after U.S. tech giants slipped overnight, while oil markets were cautious ahead of an OPEC meeting later in the session.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 edged down by 0.11 percent shortly after the opening bell with almost all sectors and major bourses in negative territory.
• Asian shares fell on Thursday, weighed down by a plunge in high-flying tech shares on fears that a long boom in micro-chips may have peaked, while virtual currency bitcoin steadied after a roller-coaster ride in the previous session.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS dropped 1.3 percent, with technology bellwether Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) falling 4.3 percent to two-month lows and Taiwan’s TSMC (2330.TW) down 3.6 percent.
• Japan’s Nikkei share average rose to a three-week high on Thursday as gains by financial stocks offset weakness in tech shares following a drop by their U.S. counterparts overnight.
The Nikkei, which was down part of the day, ended 0.6 percent higher at 22,724.96. The broader Topix advanced 0.3 percent to 1,792.08.
• China stocks fell on Thursday, pressured by selling of real estate and financial shares, as investors booked profits in sector leaders that had stellar gains this year.
At the close, the Shanghai Composite index was down 20.28 points or 0.61 percent at 3,317.58.
Reference: Reuters, CNBC
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