Safran shares rose to a seven-week high of 255.50 euros. In the past four weeks, Safran shares have risen 20.31% and in the past 12 months, shares have risen 22.45%.

The UK 100 index rose to a 6-week high of 8,670.00 points. The UK stock market index (GB100) has risen 4.33% in the past 4 weeks and 2.31% in the past 12 months.

Deutsche Telekom's shares rose to a six-week high of 32.91 euros. In the past four weeks, Deutsche Telekom's shares have risen by 3.56%, and in the past 12 months, the shares have risen by 49.45%.

The Nikkei 225 index closed little changed at 37,754 on Friday, while the broader Topix edged up 0.05% to 2,741. Japanese stocks struggled to find support as weak economic data weighed on sentiment. Investors remained cautious after Japan's economy contracted 0.2% quarter-on-quarter in the first quarter, the first decline in a year and less than the expected 0.1% drop. The data heightened concerns raised earlier this week by the Bank of Japan, which warned that the economy could slow due to pressure from U.S. trade policy. Japanese markets also followed the U.S. tech sector in its decline, hit by profit-taking overnight. Domestic tech stocks were broadly weaker, with Disco and Advantest down 1.9% and Tokyo Electron down 2.8%. Some non-tech stocks provided some support, however. Mitsubishi UFJ rose 0.9%, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries gained 3.1% and Sanrio surged 7.4%.

Korea's Kospi index rose 0.2% to 2,623 on Friday, gaining 1.9% for the week and its fifth straight weekly gain as weaker-than-expected U.S. data suggested the Federal Reserve could cut rates twice this year, prompting South Korea to adopt a similar policy outlook. Investors also assessed data showing import prices fell for a third straight month, further strengthening bets on the Bank of Korea to ease policy while awaiting progress in ongoing U.S.-South Korea tariff talks. In corporate news, chip giant SK Hynix rose 2.1% after it reported that U.S. sales accounted for 72% of its first-quarter revenue, up from 50% a year earlier, driven by strong demand for AI-related chips. Investors also noted that SK Hynix's HBM production orders are full this year, sparking optimism about the chip sector, South Korea's main export sector. Defense, shipbuilding and automotive stocks also saw notable gains, such as Hanwha Aerospace (2.1%), Hanwha Marine (0.8%) and Kia Motors (0.9%).

The Bank of Japan’s most dovish members warned against a rush to raise its benchmark interest rate, saying authorities needed to closely monitor the impact of U.S. tariffs on economic activity. “Given the extremely high uncertainty, I think the central bank should conduct monetary policy cautiously to reflect the actual state of economic recovery,” Toyoaki Nakamura, a member of the central bank’s policy board, said in a speech in Fukuoka, southwestern Japan, on Friday. In his last scheduled speech before his five-year term ends next month, he stuck to his cautious stance; he had voted against rate hikes implemented by Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda since March last year.

According to the monitoring of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the "Agricultural Products Wholesale Price 200 Index" on May 16 was 114.84, up 0.02 points from yesterday, and the "Vegetable Basket" product wholesale price index was 115.17, up 0.03 points from yesterday. As of 14:00 today, the average price of pork in the national agricultural product wholesale market was 20.94 yuan/kg, up 0.2% from yesterday; eggs were 8.05 yuan/kg, up 1.0% from yesterday.

New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index fell 0.7% to 12,787 on Friday as optimism over US-China trade talks faded. Earlier in the week, investors cheered a truce in the US-China trade war, which significantly reduced the chances of a global recession. In domestic news, New Zealand's manufacturing activity expanded for a fourth straight month in April, driven by an increase in new orders. On the corporate front, most index heavyweights closed lower, with Fisher & Paykel (-1.4%), Mercury NZ (-1.1%) and Contact Energy (-2.4%) among the biggest losers. Other big losers included Fletcher Building (-2.6%), Summerset Group (-2.3%), Skellerup Holdings (-3.1%) and Oceania Healthcare (-3.0%). Despite Friday's pullback, the NZX 50 index ended the week up 1.4%, its third straight weekly gain.

Barclays now expects eurozone GDP to be flat in 2025, compared with its previous forecast of a 0.2% decline.

The currencies with the largest gains were the New Zealand dollar (0.61%), the Korean won (0.47%), the Australian dollar (0.37%), the euro (0.20%), the British pound (0.14%), and the Japanese yen (0.31%). The currencies with the largest losses were the Turkish lira (-0.47%) and the US dollar index (-0.28%).

The New Zealand dollar rose to around $0.588 on Friday, snapping a two-day losing streak. The dollar fell earlier on weak economic data, fueling expectations of further interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve this year. The latest data showed that U.S. producer prices unexpectedly fell by the most in five years, while retail sales growth slowed. Back home, markets are still betting on the Reserve Bank of New Zealand to cut interest rates by a further 25 basis points later this month due to economic weakness. However, investors are skeptical that the central bank's easing cycle may be coming to an end, with rates now expected to bottom out at 3.0%. Despite Friday's rebound, the New Zealand dollar is still set to fall for the third consecutive week. The previous week, the New Zealand dollar had a turbulent week, with the dollar rising on news that the United States and China had reached a tariff deal, but encountered selling pressure at key technical levels.

The Australian dollar steadied above $0.64 on Friday after a volatile week as investors looked ahead to next week's Reserve Bank of Australia policy decision. The Reserve Bank of Australia is widely expected to cut its cash rate by 25 basis points to 3.85%, but expectations for further easing have faded. Stronger-than-expected labour market data released earlier this week helped to temper expectations of a rate cut. Official data showed that the Australian economy added 89,000 jobs in April, far exceeding expectations for 20,000, and pushing total employment to a record high of 14.64 million. As a result, markets now price in around 75 basis points of rate cuts from the Reserve Bank of Australia by the end of the year, down from 100 basis points a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, the US-China trade deal helped ease concerns about a global economic slowdown, further supporting the risk-sensitive Aussie.

The yen appreciated to 145 against the dollar on Friday, rising for a fourth straight session despite weaker-than-expected economic growth data. Japan's economy shrank 0.2% quarter-on-quarter in the first quarter, the first decline in a year and less than the 0.1% decline forecast. Earlier this week, the Bank of Japan acknowledged that the economy could slow due to the impact of US trade policy. However, the central bank maintained its view that rising wages and prices will support Japan's continued move toward policy normalization, which helped support the yen. Investors were also watching the progress of US-Japan trade talks, as Tokyo strives to reach a deal by June. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reiterated Japan's position that any agreement must include provisions on the auto industry and urged Washington to remove its 25% tariff on Japanese cars.

The won rose to more than 1,395 against the dollar recently, rising for two consecutive trading days as investors await progress in the U.S.-South Korea tariff talks. On the second day of the APEC trade ministers' meeting on Jeju Island, South Korean Trade Minister Ahn Deok-gun will meet with U.S. Trade Representative Jamison Greer to push for a package tariff deal before the July 8 deadline. Greer also met with Trade Minister Chung In-gyo on Thursday to discuss outstanding trade issues and U.S. negotiations with other countries. Meanwhile, import prices fell for the third consecutive month, reinforcing expectations of further monetary easing by the Bank of Korea. This is in line with the recent minutes of the Bank of Korea, which showed that most of the board members pointed out that the economic headwinds are increasing and further interest rate cuts are needed. In addition, U.S. data showed that the Federal Reserve may cut interest rates twice this year, which prompted South Korea to hold a similar policy outlook.

The dollar index fell to around 100.6 on Friday, ending the week largely flat as early gains from the U.S.-China trade truce were offset by weaker U.S. economic data. The dollar surged more than 1% at the start of the week after the United States and China reached a deal to sharply reduce tariffs in 90 days, signaling a possible breakthrough in a broader trade deal between the world's two largest economies. However, the dollar's gains faded as data released this week showed softer inflation and disappointing retail sales, raising concerns about slowing consumer activity. The indicators prompted traders to increase bets on further interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve later this year. The dollar also came under pressure against several Asian currencies, especially the Korean won, amid speculation that Washington may support a weaker dollar as a strategic move in the ongoing trade talks.

Japanese Economic Revitalization Minister Ryomasa Akazawa: Tariff concerns did not affect first quarter consumption, but further data needs to be evaluated with caution.

Japanese Minister of Economic Revitalization Ryomasa Akazawa: We will not reach an agreement with the United States that sacrifices agriculture.