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Stocks Steady as ECB Stands Pat, BoJ Tightens and US Inflation Cools

Micron‑fueled tech gains counter year‑end profit‑taking.

Overview

  • DAX in Frankfurt edged up about 0.1% to roughly 24,225 in early trade on options expiry day, leaving the weekly tally slightly positive.
  • The European Central Bank kept interest rates unchanged, while softer US CPI at 2.7% revived market pricing for earlier Federal Reserve cuts.
  • The Bank of Japan raised its policy rate by 25 basis points to 0.75%, the highest level in about three decades.
  • Technology shares drew support after Micron posted strong quarterly results and an upbeat outlook tied to AI memory demand, lifting peers including Nvidia and AMD.
  • Oil prices eased toward the week’s close near $60 Brent on speculation about progress toward Ukraine talks, retracing earlier gains linked to possible new US sanctions on Russian oil.