Telecoms up in lower European markets

European equities markets were mixed on Friday in the last trading session of the week. The FTSE Eurofirst 300 fell 0.1 percent to 1,549.87, and while the Dax added 0.1 percent to 7,861.51 in Frankfurt, the IBEX fell 0.03 percent to 14,576.5 in Madrid and the Paris CAC-40 dropped 0.31 percent to 5,715.69. Chipmakers and the telecommunications sector gained on the day, while banks were mixed. Airlines, truck makers, and some financial planners were lower.

Equities markets in London were lower in Friday trade. The FTSE 100 fell 0.3 percent to 6,466.8 while the FTSE 250 was 0.02 percent lower to 11,037.4. Miners were mixed. Brokers, reinsures, and some in the oil sector saw gains, while food processors, stock exchange operators, online gamblers and some in the financial services sector declined.

Asia-Pacific equities markets were mixed but mostly higher to end the week. In Singapore, the Straits Times index dropped slightly to close at 3,706.23, while the Taiex index dropped 0.06 percent to 9,411.95 in Taiwan. Among gainers, South Korea’s Kospi index added 0.06 percent to 1,946.48, while the Hang Seng gained 0.29 percent to 27,142.47 to set yet another new closing high. In Australia, the S&P/ASX200 was up 0.45 percent to 6,567.8 and the Sydney Ordinaries added 0.5 percent to 6,580.9. India’s Sensex was up 0.82 percent to 17,291.1. The Shanghai Composite jumped 2.64 percent to 5,552.3 on a report in a state-run journal that China’s economy will grow by 11.6 percent for the full year, more than had been anticipated in earlier estimates.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 was 0.28 percent lower to 16,785.69. The Topix index closed at 1,616.62. The Mothers market was higher, ending the session at 732.72 for a gain of 1.7 percent. The consumer finance sector, camera makers and the construction machinery sector saw gains. The pharmaceuticals sector and house builders were mixed, while the real estate sector was declines.

Wall Street was lower in early afternoon trade. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.1 percent lower to 13,898.88 at just past 1 p.m. in New York, while the Nasdaq Composite had dropped 0.22 percent to 2,703.63 and the S&P 500 was down 0.23 percent to 1,527.89. The oil sector and banks were lower, while the retail sector was mixed.

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