Asia-Pacific markets mixed on more worries

Equities markets in the Asia-Pacific region were mixed Friday as investors worried again about the state of the global economy. India’s Sensex added 1.84 percent to 14,424.87. The other notable gainer was the Shanghai Composite, which was 1.49 percent higher to 5,107.67. Declining indices included the Straits Times index in Singapore, which was 0.04 percent lower to 3,369.45. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng dropped 0.2 percent to 22,921.89, while the Kospi index fell 0.47 percent to 1,791.33 in South Korea. Taiwan’s Taiex was down 0.49 percent to 8,690.09. In Australia, meanwhile, the Sydney Ordinaries dropped 1.02 percent to 6,087.2 and the S&P/ASX200 was down 1.16 percent to 6,088.5.

Tokyo’s markets were lower as well. The Nikkei 225 fell 0.41 percent to 16,248.97, while the Topix index was down 0.37 percent to 1,585.85 and the Mothers market declined 1.79 percent to 726.77. The electronics and automobile manufacturing sectors were mixed, while shippers, glass makers and camera manufacturers saw gains.

European markets were mostly higher, but the Dax dropped 0.06 percent to 7,507.27 in Frankfurt. The FTSE Eurofirst 300 added 0.34 percent. In Madrid, IBEX was up 0.29 percent to 14,334.4 while the Paris CAC-40 gained 0.83 percent to 5,569.38. Financial services, including banks, were lower on the session. Car and truck makers, the oil sector and building materials groups saw gains.

London’s markets were higher. The FTSE 100 added 0.37 percent to 6,220.1, while the FTSE 250 gained 0.22 percent to 10,969.5. Financial services were lower in London just as they were on the continent. Power generators and food processors were also down on the session. There were gains among property developers, software makers, retailers, miners and the oil sector.

The New York equities markets were up in midday trade. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.51 percent higher to 13,302.95, while the Nasdaq had added 0.55 percent to 2,555.8 and the S&P 500 was up 0.51 percent as well, to 1,469.92. The oil sector was higher on the day, but clothing retailers and homebuilders were both mixed on the day.

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