The Amsterdam stock exchange finished the week on a high note on Friday, with almost all major companies on the AEX index recording gains. Investors spent the day digesting a key speech by US Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh. Although he warned that American inflation remains persistent and hinted that interest rate hikes might still be needed, he tempered his message by clarifying that his remarks were not a formal interest rate prediction. European stock markets followed suit, with indices in London, Paris, and Frankfurt all closing up by nearly one percent.
In the technology sector, strong performance from US artificial intelligence firm Nvidia lifted investor confidence, though local chip companies delivered mixed results. Semiconductor maker Besi climbed over one percent and ASML saw modest gains, while ASMI dipped slightly. Chemical distributor IMCD and insurer ASR led the main index with gains of over two percent, whereas health technology group Philips landed at the bottom after falling by over half a percent.
Elsewhere on the exchange, property group Eurocommercial Properties jumped over three percent following strong earnings reports, and investment firm HAL gained over one percent after reporting asset growth. Airline group Air France-KLM also saw its shares rise slightly as it prepares for an upcoming decision from the Portuguese government, which is reviewing bids from both Air France-KLM and Lufthansa to purchase up to half of national carrier TAP.
@anp | NEWS BRAINPORT
