Carmakers, airlines decline in Europe

Equities markets in Europe were lower on Thursday‘s session. The FTSE Eurofirst 300 fell 0.63 percent to 1,539.89. In Frankfurt the Dax was 0.19 percent lower to 7,735.09, while Madrid’s IBEX was down 0.47 percent to 14,427.1 and the Paris CAC-40 dropped 0.73 percent to 5,688.76. The construction sector saw gains, as did some retailers and stock exchange operators. Utilities were mixed, while carmakers, airlines and the financial services sector saw declines.

London’s markets were also lower. The FTSE 100 was down 0.48 percent to 6,429 while the FTSE 250 was 1.1 percent lower to 11,013.8. Miners saw gains, as did some insurers and the oil sector. The retail and leisure sectors were mixed, while some banks saw significant declines again. Mortgage lenders and some transport groups were lower.

Equities markets in the Asia-Pacific region were mixed, but most managed gains. In Singapore, however, the Straits Times index dropped 1.17 percent to 3,552.46. India’s Sensex was 0.15 percent higher to 16,347.95, while the Kospi index gained 0.33 percent to 1,908.97 in South Korea. The Hang Seng added 0.57 percent to 25,701.13 for another new high in Hong Kong. In Australia, the S&P/ASX200 was 0.59 percent higher to 6,393.7 and the Sydney Ordinaries gained 0.61 percent to 6,388. Taiwan’s Taiex was up 0.63 percent to 8,983.03. The Shanghai Composite jumped 1.39 percent to 5,470.06.

Markets were mixed in Tokyo. The Nikkei 225 was 0.2 percent higher to 16,413.79, but the Topix index retreated slightly and was down 0.05 percent to 1,566.84. The Mothers market of small and mid-caps also declined, falling 0.81 percent to 628.23. The real estate sector saw gains on higher prices for commercial land in the past year, but the consumer finances and semiconductors sectors were lower.

Mixed quarterly reports sent Wall Street lower at midday, despite Tuesday’s interest rate cut and a Labor Department report that showed that new unemployment claims were down by 9,000 last week. Testimony from Fed chairman Ben Bernanke provided no guidance. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.13 percent to 13,797.35, while the Nasdaq Composite was down 0.18 percent to 2,661.71 and the S&P 500 was 0.27 percent lower to 1,524.96. Some investment banks were higher, while the retail sector saw declines and airlines were mixed on high oil prices and broker comments.

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