Australian equities markets set records for second consecutive day

On Wall Street Thursday the S&P 500 breached the 1,500 level for the first time since September 2000. At midday, the S&P was 0.4 percent higher to 1,501.28. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.1 percent to 13,229.02,while the Nasdaq Composite had added 0.3 percent to 2,566.01. There were losses, however, in the retail sector. Retailers saw declines, as did some carmakers and some stock exchanges. Gains came in the telecommunications and banking sectors.

In Europe, the Eurofirst 300 added 0.26 percent to 1,581.2. Other indices on the continent were also higher, with the CAC-40 adding 0.24 percent to 6,004.28 in Paris and the Frankfurt Dax gaining 0.28 percent to 7,476.69. In London meanwhile, the FTSE 100 was up 0.82 percent to 6,537.8 and the FTSE 250 was 0.22 percent higher to 12,046.1. The European automobile manufacturing sector was mixed. The aerospace sector also saw declines. Sectors seeing gains included construction, oil, and banking. In the UK, banks were mixed, while gains were seen in the consumer goods sector, among insurers, and in constructions materials.

In Asia and the Pacific region, equities markets were higher again. The Australian markets set new records for the second day in a row. The Sydney Ordinaries added 0.2 percent to 6,236.9, while the S&P/ASX 200 closed at 6,245.6. In India, the Sensex gained 1.48 percent to 14,078.21 after a day off on holiday, with gains seen in companies - oil, gas, and metals - that are related to commodities. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index was 1.69 percent higher to 10,681.58, while the Straits Times Index in Singapore jumped 2.2 percent to 3,450.64. The Tokyo markets were closed for the Golden Week holidays.

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