Some European banks see gains

European markets were higher on Tuesday after Monday’s declines. The FTSE Eurofirst 300 added 1.54 percent to 1,509. The Dax was up 1.27 percent to 7,575.21 in Frankfurt, while the Paris CAC-40 gained 2.02 percent to 5,549.35 and Madrid’s IBEX was 2.52 percent higher to 14,042. Builders were higher on the session, along with construction materials groups, the steel sector, and banks. Car and truck makers were mixed, while utilities, some financial services groups and the IT services sector were lower on the session.

There were also gains in London’s equities markets. The FTSE 100 added 1.63 to 6,283.3 and the FTSE 250 gained 0.54 percent to 10,802.8. Some banks made gains, but the sector was mixed, which mortgages lenders and car rentals groups made gains. Property investors were also higher but house builders declined. Miners and the oil sector were lower.

There were few gains in Asia-Pacific region equities markets again on Tuesday. The Shanghai Composite added 0.07 percent to 5,425.21, while Singapore’s Straits Times index gained 0.4 percent to 3,477.75. Meanwhile, in India, the Sensex was up 1.06 percent to 15,669.12. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index closed lower at 24,576.85, while the Taiex dropped 1.46 percent to 8,899.91. In Korea, the Kospi was 1.77 percent lower to 1,838.61. The Sydney Ordinaries fell 1.2 percent to 6,208, while the S&P/ASX200 was down 1.26 percent to 6,192.5.

Tokyo’s markets were lower as they reopened after Monday’s Respect for the Aged Day holiday. The Nikkei 225 dropped 2.02 percent to 15,801.80, while the Topix index fell 2.19 percent to 1,510.95 and the Mothers market was 2.64 percent lower to 620.42. Banks and the consumer finance sector both saw declines, as did most exporters.

Wall Street was higher in midday trade ahead of the Federal Reserve’s decision on interest rates, due at mid-afternoon New York time. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.61 percent higher to 13,485.52, while the Nasdaq Composite added 0.55 percent to 2,595.83 and the S&P 500 gained 0.71 percent to 1,487.19. Quarterly results helped some banks and retailers, while positive broker comment helped the construction machinery sector. Some carmakers were lower, while the software and aerospace sectors also saw declines.

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