Global Markets Surge Amid End of U.S. Government Shutdown

Global stock markets eyed new highs following the end of the longest U.S. government shutdown. European stocks surged, bolstered by France's CAC 40, while Japanese yen hit record lows. U.S. President Trump signed a bill ending the shutdown, with delayed economic data expected soon. Oil prices dipped amid OPEC projections.

Global stock markets were on the brink of new records on Thursday as the U.S. government ended its record-long shutdown. European markets experienced a boost, with France's CAC 40 leading a near 1% rise, countering significant losses posted by German engineering firm Siemens.

The Japanese yen hit historic lows against the euro and the dollar despite political assurances, due to the new premier's pressure on the central bank to slow on interest rate hikes. Meanwhile, Japan's Nikkei and Topix indexes saw gains as investors diversified away from artificial intelligence stocks.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones reached a new high, while tech-heavy Nasdaq dipped. Energy markets reacted to OPEC's revised 2026 supply-demand projections, with Brent crude futures dropping to a three-week low.

(With inputs from agencies.)