Global Stocks Mixed Friday
Global Stocks Mixed Friday
TOKYO (AP) -- Global shares were mixed Friday as trading was becalmed by a lull in market-moving news. France's CAC 40 and Germany's DAX were little changed in early trading, while Britain's FTSE added 0.2 percent. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped 0.2 percent.
KEEPING SCORE: France's CAC 40 was little changed at 5,198.69. Germany's DAX was also unchanged at 12,446.63 in early trading. Britain's FTSE 100 added 0.2 percent to 7,500.31. U.S. shares were also set to be mixed, with Dow futures falling 0.1 percent to 21,571, while the S&P 500 futures were up 0.1 percent at 2,472.30.
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ASIA'S DAY: Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped 0.2 percent to finish at 20,099.75 while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.7 percent to 5,722.80. South Korea's Kospi rose 0.3 percent to 2,450.06. Hong Kong's Hang Seng inched down less than 0.1 percent to 26,729.08. The Shanghai Composite index slipped 0.2 percent at 3,237.98. India's Sensex lost 0.1 percent to 31,876.58, and benchmarks in Southeast Asia were mixed.
EUROPE FACTOR: Europe's central bank maintained its current policies and ECB President Mario Draghi said the bank hasn't even set a date for considering changes. Still, foreign exchange markets reacted by pushing the euro higher. That followed the Bank of Japan's decision Thursday to keep its monetary policy unchanged, while pushing back its expected time frame for achieving its 2 percent inflation target to 2019. There was little fresh data or other news for investors to grab onto.
THE QUOTE: "The ongoing rally in the euro was the most significant feature of the international market landscape last night. However, growing nervousness over U.S. politics and weak commodity prices has set a soft tone for this morning's market open," Ric Spooner of CMC Markets said in a commentary.
ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude gained 18 cents to $47.10 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It lost 40 cents on Thursday, to $46.92. Brent crude, the standard for international oil prices, added 29 cents to $49.59 a barrel in London.
CURRENCIES: The dollar fell to 111.76 yen from 112.12 yen. The euro jumped to $1.1646 from $1.1507.
(BE)