The Amsterdam AEX index started Friday down 0.6 per cent at 1,041.01 points. Chip companies ASMI, Besi, and ASML led the losses, falling over 3 per cent following a sell-off in US and Asian tech stocks. On Wall Street, investors moved money away from tech into more traditional sectors, pushing the Dow Jones to a record high while the Nasdaq dipped. Markets are now waiting for the latest US jobs report, which will influence federal interest rates.
Asian markets also fell, with South Korean chipmakers Samsung and SK Hynix dropping heavily. In India, stocks dipped after the central bank kept interest rates the same but warned that the war in the Middle East is driving up energy prices and inflation. Meanwhile, European markets were mixed, with London and Frankfurt down slightly and Paris rising.
On the local market, steelmaker ArcelorMittal fell 2.7 per cent, while paint maker AkzoNobel rose 2 per cent after a positive rating from Citi. Heineken shares grew 0.8 per cent as major investors urged the brewer to find an external CEO to replace Dolf van den Brink. In the MidCap index, Air France-KLM fell 1.8 per cent after Barclays advised selling the stock, while builder Heijmans rose 2 per cent following a target price upgrade by ING.
@anp | NEWS BRAINPORT
