European markets make gains on session

European equities were higher on the session on Friday, with the FTSE Eurofirst 300 up 0.69 percent to 1553. The CAC-40 was 0.7 percent higher to 5789.34 in Paris, while the Xetra Dax gained 0.97 percent to close at 7,212.07 in Frankfurt. The pharmaceuticals and oil sectors saw gains, while carmakers were mixed on the session. The semiconductors sector saw declines after a Korean peer said that its results were not as good has hoped in the first quarter.

The markets were also higher in London, with the FTSE 100 up 0.72 percent to 6,462.4, its highest close in several years. The FTSE 250 gained 0.26 percent to 11,925.2. Pharmaceuticals were higher and took the top two spots on the 100 for the session. The UK oil sector also did well on the day, but most miners were lower for the day.

In Asia and the Pacific, the markets were mixed on the day, but mostly lower. The Sensex was 2.06 percent higher to 13,384.08 in India, but most other indices saw declines. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong dropped 0.19 percent to 20,340.97, while in Singapore the Straits Times index fell 0.28 percent to 3,373.59. In Australia, the Sydney Ordinaries were 0.31 percent lower to 6,123.8. In Tokyo, both the Nikkei 225 and the Topix index fell as the yen gained on the US dollar, hurting export-focused shares. The Nikkei dropped 1.01 percent to 17,363.95, while the Topix was 1.2 percent lower to 1,705.5. Besides exporters, the retail sector also saw declines.

On Wall Street, midday saw the markets mixed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.28 percent higher to 12,587.99, while the S&P 500 had added 0.13 percent to 1,449.74. The Nasdaq Composite, however, was 0.07 percent lower to 2,478.7. The gains in the Dow and the S&P came even though a consumer sentiment survey showed that consumer sentiment is at an eight-month low in April. Pharma and fast food was higher, but there were declines in among computer makers.

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