Stock markets were mixed Monday as a deepening political crisis in France sent Paris into a tailspin while a new Japanese ruling party leader boosted Tokyo and the AI investment boom lifted US stock indices to fresh heights.

Gold pushed ever closer to $4,000 an ounce as the US government shutdown and expected interest cuts from the Federal Reserve boosted the precious metal's lure.

The euro fell against main rivals and French borrowing costs spiked as Sebastien Lecornu, who had been prime minister for less than a month, resigned just 14 hours after naming a largely unchanged cabinet.

But in another twist, French President Emmanuel Macron held new talks with Lecornu in the evening and gave him two days to reach a plan for the country's "stability", the president's office said.

Paris fin

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