Major US stock indices rose significantly on Friday, helped by the rise in quotations of the healthcare sector and industrial companies, as well as the hope that the final draft of the tax reform will soon be submitted to the Congress.

The focus was also on the United States. As the results of studies published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York showed, the region's production index declined in December, while the fall was stronger than the average forecasts of economists. According to the data, the production index in the current month fell to +18 points compared to +19.4 points in November. Previous value was not revised. Economists had expected the index to decline to +18.6 points.

Industrial production in the US rose less than expected in November, as the fall in utility services offset the recovery from hurricanes in the oil and gas industry and the third monthly growth in production, the Federal Reserve said in a statement. The total volume of industrial production increased by 0.2% after the revised one, with an increase of 1.2% in October. Economists predicted an increase in industrial production by 0.3% last month.

Almost all components of the DOW index finished the auction with an increase (26 out of 30). The leader of growth was shares of Intel Corporation (INTC, + 3.01%). Outsider were shares of International Business Machines Corporation (IBM, -0.97%).

Almost all sectors of the S & P index recorded an increase. The health sector grew most (+ 1.0%). The decrease was shown only by the base resources sector (-0.1%).

At closing:

Dow + 0.58% 24.651.74 +143.08

Nasdaq + 1.17% 6.936.58 +80.06

S & P + 0.90% 2.675.81 + 23.80

U.S. stock-index futures were higher on Friday as concerns about the U.S. tax overhaul reduced.

Global Stocks:

Nikkei 22,553.22 -141.23 -0.62%

Hang Seng 28,848.11 -318.27 -1.09%

Shanghai 3,266.15 -26.29 -0.80%

S&P/ASX 5,997.00 -14.30 -0.24%

FTSE 7,465.27 +17.15 +0.23%

CAC 5,345.32 -11.82 -0.22%

DAX 13,074.14 +6.06 +0.05%

Crude $57.31 (+0.47%)

Gold $1,264.00 (+0.55%)

(company / ticker / price / change ($/%) / volume)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) resumed with a Hold at Stifel

European stocks closed at their lowest in a week Thursday, with bank shares in the red, and they struggled throughout the session even after data showed eurozone business activity revved up this month. The euro turned lower in the wake of the European Central Bank issuing updated inflation targets as policy makers wrapped up for the year.

U.S. stock-market indexes relinquished earlier gains, finishing lower on Thursday, with the selling pressure coming from health-care, materials sectors and telecoms sectors.

In Asia, the Topix index in Japan slipped 1.1 per cent as financials fell 1.3 per cent and telecoms stocks lost 4.3 per cent. There was better news for Japan's large manufacturers, which reported their best quarter in 11 years as the Bank of Japan's Tankan reading rose three points to +25 in the fourth quarter.

(index / closing price / change items /% change)

Nikkei -63.62 22694.45 -0.28%

TOPIX -2.70 1808.14 -0.15%

Hang Seng -55.72 29166.38 -0.19%

CSI 300 -23.94 4026.15 -0.59%

Euro Stoxx 50 -25.53 3556.22 -0.71%

FTSE 100 -48.39 7448.12 -0.65%

DAX -57.56 13068.08 -0.44%

CAC 40 -42.31 5357.14 -0.78%

DJIA -76.77 24508.66 -0.31%

S&P 500 -10.84 2652.01 -0.41%

NASDAQ -19.27 6856.53 -0.28%

S&P/TSX -120.13 16016.46 -0.74%