Dow slightly lower at midday

Wall Street was mixed in midday trade on Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.1 percent lower to 13,745.24 after falling even more earlier in the session, and the S&P 500 had dropped 0.34 percent to 1,512.61, but the Nasdaq Composite was 0.04 percent higher to 2,668.9. Retailers were lower on worries about sales in the upcoming holiday season, while house builders were lower on quarterly results.

European equities markets declined on Tuesday as commodities-related shares fell with oil and metals prices. The Eurofirst 300 fell 1.04 percent to 1,529.91. The Dax dropped 0.24 percent to 7,769.44, while the CAC-40 was 0.89 percent lower to 5,641.59 and the IBEX was down 1.3 percent to 14,304.8. The oil and banking sectors were lower, as were builders and those who furnish materials to them. The steel sector was mixed, while airlines and utilities saw gains.

London’s markets also declined, with the FTSE 100 down 1.07 percent to 6,396.9 and the FTSE 250 closing at 10,853.2, a drop of 1.7 percent. Miners were lower as metals prices dropped, while some banks also saw declines. House builders were lower and the general construction sector was mixed, but property developers saw gains. Utilities and related shares were higher.

Tokyo markets came back from Monday’s holiday with gains. The Nikkei 225 was up 0.55 percent to 16,401.73, while the Topix index added 0.95 percent to 1,566.83 and the Mothers market added 0.88 percent to 631.45. The real estate sector, shippers and carmakers were all up on the session.

Meanwhile, equities markets in the rest of the Asia-Pacific region were mixed. Gainers included Australia markets, where the Sydney Ordinaries added 0.46 percent to 6,490.9 and the S&P/ASX200 gained 0.49 percent to 6,483 for the second record high close in a row. In India, the Sensex was also higher, up 0.32 percent to 16,889.54. But the Straits Times index in Singapore and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index were both lower, down 0.39 percent to 3,624.83 and 0.46 percent to 26,430.29 respectively. The Shanghai Composite dropped 1.08 percent to 5,425.88. Markets in South Korea and Taiwan remained closed for holidays.

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