London equities higher after holiday

European equities markets were mostly higher on Tuesday. The Paris CAC-40 was the exception; it dropped 0.25 percent to 6,056.39. But the FTSE Eurofirst 300 added 0.1 percent to 1,601, while the IBEX gained 0.42 percent to 15,188.6 in Spain and in Frankfurt the Dax was 0.54 percent higher to 7,781.04. Carmakers saw gains, helped by lower oil prices, while utilities saw declines.

In London, the FTSE 100 added 0.55 percent to 6,606.5 and the FTSE 250 gained 0.41 percent to 12,106.7 following Monday’s closure for a bank holiday. The telecommunications sector saw gains, while pharmaceuticals companies and the mining sector boths aw decline.

Asian and Pacific equities markets were also mixed. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong dropped 0.29 percent to 20,469.59. Elsewhere, however, the Straits Times index in Singapore added 0.36 percent to 3,527.08, while in India the Sensex was up 0.77 percent to 14,508.21 and in Australia the Sydney Ordinaries gained 1.02 percent to 6,338.8.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 added 0.5 percent to 17,672.56 and the Topix index was 0.8 percent higher to 1,737.9, while the Mothers market of small and mid-caps gained 1.8 percent to 837.26. All were helped by an surprise decline in unemployment. Shippers were higher on positive broker remarks. The electronics sector also saw gains, as did a handbag manufacturer.

Wall Street was higher at midday after a day off yesterday for Memorial Day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average had added 0.1 percent to 13,525, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.6 percent to 2,573.52 and the S&P 500 was up 0.2 percent to 1,519.35. Bids speculation sent metals producers lower, while internet companies were mixed on broker comments and an FTC investigation. There were gains among carmakers.

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