World Indices — Evening Edition
Wednesday, 28 October 2026 — Evening Edition
Relative performance, past week — % change from a week ago Click any name below to hide its line, or click it again to bring it back.
Relative performance, past month — % change from a month ago Click any name below to hide its line, or click it again to bring it back.
Relative performance, year to date — % change from the previous year's close Click any name below to hide its line, or click it again to bring it back.
Relative performance, past 12 months — % change from a year ago Click any name below to hide its line, or click it again to bring it back.
At a glance — 1 week
- Nikkei 225 −2.09% (63,268.37)
- KOSPI −1.70% (5,638.34)
- TAIEX −1.69% (46,096.23)
- SSE Composite −1.74% (CN¥3,648.30)
- SZSE Component −3.92% (CN¥11,245.73)
- Hang Seng −2.58% (23,041.32)
- FTSE 100 −0.54% (10,694.50)
- Euro Stoxx 50 −0.64% (6,167.81)
- S&P 500 −0.17% (7,743.98)
- Nasdaq Composite −0.57% (26,549.85)
At a glance — 1 month
- Nikkei 225 −3.96% (63,268.37)
- KOSPI −18.16% (5,638.34)
- TAIEX −4.02% (46,096.23)
- SSE Composite −4.59% (CN¥3,648.30)
- SZSE Component −12.54% (CN¥11,245.73)
- Hang Seng −6.50% (23,041.32)
- FTSE 100 +0.09% (10,694.50)
- Euro Stoxx 50 −2.12% (6,167.81)
- S&P 500 +0.78% (7,743.98)
- Nasdaq Composite −1.01% (26,549.85)
At a glance — year to date
- Nikkei 225 +25.68% (63,268.37)
- KOSPI +33.79% (5,638.34)
- TAIEX +59.15% (46,096.23)
- SSE Composite −8.08% (CN¥3,648.30)
- SZSE Component −16.85% (CN¥11,245.73)
- Hang Seng −10.10% (23,041.32)
- FTSE 100 +7.68% (10,694.50)
- Euro Stoxx 50 +6.41% (6,167.81)
- S&P 500 +13.13% (7,743.98)
- Nasdaq Composite +14.23% (26,549.85)
At a glance — 12 months
- Nikkei 225 +25.98% (63,268.37)
- KOSPI +40.59% (5,638.34)
- TAIEX +64.93% (46,096.23)
- SSE Composite −8.52% (CN¥3,648.30)
- SZSE Component −16.26% (CN¥11,245.73)
- Hang Seng −12.54% (23,041.32)
- FTSE 100 +10.29% (10,694.50)
- Euro Stoxx 50 +8.12% (6,167.81)
- S&P 500 +12.38% (7,743.98)
- Nasdaq Composite +10.82% (26,549.85)
THE OVERNIGHT SESSION
🚀 Seoul led Asia by a wide margin, with the KOSPI surging +6.63% to 6,012.44, closing at 06:30 Irish time — a move roughly 3.8 times the index's typical daily swing. Samsung Electronics, about 20% of the index, rose +9.01% and contributed about +1.80 percentage points, while SK Hynix, about 10% of the index, rose +10.89% and contributed about +1.09 percentage points. Combined, the two names contributed about +2.89pp, or roughly 44% of the index's move, leaving a large share of the rally unexplained by these two constituents alone.
Taipei's TAIEX also moved sharply, closing +2.04% at 47,035.58 (05:30 Irish), about 2.7 times its typical daily move. TSMC, around 33% of the index, rose +1.04% and contributed about +0.34pp — only about 17% of the index's gain, meaning most of Taipei's move came from outside its largest constituent.
Tokyo's Nikkei 225 closed +1.08% at 63,954.19 (06:30 Irish). Mainland China advanced more modestly, with the Shanghai Composite up +0.91% to 3,681.47 and the Shenzhen Component up +2.02% to 11,473.18, both closing at 07:00 Irish. Hong Kong's Hang Seng was essentially flat, +0.23% at 23,094.83 (closed 08:00 Irish). Asia did not move as a single bloc: the split ran along chip and memory exposure, with Seoul and Taipei — both carrying large semiconductor weightings — posting outsized gains while Hong Kong lagged and Tokyo and the mainland indices rose only modestly.
EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA
London's FTSE 100 closed little changed, +0.07% at 10,694.50 (16:30 Irish), on a day dominated domestically by the UK Budget rather than global markets. The Euro Stoxx 50 also closed essentially flat, +0.05% at 6,167.81 (16:30 Irish).
In New York, the S&P 500 closed +0.28% at 7,743.98 and the Nasdaq Composite closed +0.27% at 26,549.85, both for Wednesday 28 October's session (20:00 Irish). 🚀 Beneath the modest index-level gains, moves in individual megacaps were far sharper: Microsoft jumped 4% after reporting Azure revenue growth of 48% and record quarterly revenue of $92.3 billion, while ⚠️ Alphabet sank 10% after missing Q3 expectations on both revenue and earnings for the first time in nearly four years, even as it held 2026 capital spending unchanged and flagged a significant increase for 2027. Oracle shares reportedly rose 11% on a long-term revenue forecast through fiscal 2030, while CoreWeave and other "neocloud" names fell after Microsoft's capital spending came in below expectations.
WHAT CONNECTS THEM
The clearest thread running through the session is semiconductors and AI infrastructure spending. Seoul's and Taipei's outsized gains were concentrated in memory and chip names (Samsung, SK Hynix, TSMC), while in New York the same AI capital-expenditure theme split megacap tech in two directions — Microsoft's Azure beat drove a 4% gain, Alphabet's miss and flat 2026 capex guidance drove a 10% decline, and infrastructure-adjacent names like CoreWeave fell on Microsoft's lighter-than-expected spending figure. A second, separate thread is the Federal Reserve: the Fed held interest rates steady on Wednesday, a decision discussed widely in the feed, with Treasury yields edging higher afterward. London and the eurozone, by contrast, showed little reaction to either theme, with both indices closing essentially flat.
WHAT TO WATCH
- The next scheduled session is Thursday 29 October on Wall Street and across the Asian and European exchanges covered here.
- 📅 DoorDash's deal to acquire Instacart could reportedly be announced as early as Thursday morning, per CNBC sources; this remains unconfirmed by either company and any valuation figures in circulation should be treated as reported, not official.
- Whether Seoul and Taipei's chip-led gains extend into Thursday's session, or prove a one-day concentration effect, given how much of each move sat outside the largest constituents named above.
- Further reaction in AI-infrastructure-linked names following Microsoft's and Alphabet's contrasting results, and whether capex commentary from other large tech reporters this week reinforces either direction.
- Any follow-through in oil markets, where prices rose on reports that the US had told Gulf countries to prepare for possible Iran-related developments after the midterm elections — a claim attributed to reporting, not confirmed by any government statement in the feed.
World Indices — Evening Edition is AI-generated general market commentary for informational purposes only. It is not financial advice and does not constitute a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any security. Share and index prices are settled closes from the last completed market session, date-matched to the NYSE calendar. Any futures, extended-hours or crypto levels are live quotes at the time of writing. Nothing here is real-time.