Global Stock Markets Today (Dec. 19, 2025): AI Stocks Lift Wall Street, Europe Closes at a Record, BOJ Hike Hits the Yen
Updated: 21:47 UTC on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025 (4:47 p.m. on the U.S. East Coast) Global stock markets finished Friday on a firmer footing as investors leaned back into technology and artificial-intelligence shares, shrugged off a week of heavy central-bank headlines, and looked past lingering uncertainty around economic data disrupted by the U.S. government shutdown. In the U.S., the S&P 500 ended up 0.9% at 6,834.50, the Nasdaq Composite gained 1.3% to 23,307.62, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.4% to 48,134.89. In Europe, the STOXX 600 added 0.37% to 587.50, marking a record closing high, while Asian equities