Tokyo markets see gains on session

Tokyo’s markets were higher. The Nikkei 225 added 0.9 percent to 17,199.89, while the Topix index gained 1.48 percent to 1,664.01 and the Mothers market jumped 5.03 percent to 794.35. Brokers and banks were higher, as were steel makers and some manufacturers. The electronics sector was mixed.

Shares in the Asia-Pacific region were mixed Wednesday. Gainers included Taiwan’s Taiex index, which was 0.8 percent higher to 9,700.07. The Kospi index was up 2.62 percent to 2,014.09 in South Korea, while the Shanghai Composite gained 2.64 percent to 5,552.3. In India, the Sensex was up 2.99 percent to 17,847.04. Australia’s S&P/ASX200 traded even at 6,659.9 while the Sydney Ordinaries dropped 0.03 percent to 6,665.4. The Straits Times index closed lower at 3,754.62 in Singapore, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index dropped 2.55 percent to 27,479.94.

Most European markets were higher on the session, but Madrid’s IBEX dropped 0.04 percent to 14,783.8. In Frankfurt the Dax added 0.11 percent to 7,955.3, while the CAC-40 gained 0.12 percent to 5,806.18 in Paris. The Pan-European FTSE Eurofirst 300 was 0.16 percent higher to 1,570.81. Media, aerospace, chipmakers and the utilities sector was lower. Banks saw gains, as did airlines, car and truck makers, and the telecommunications sector.

London’s markets saw gains as well, with the FTSE 100 adding 0.54 percent to 6,535.2 and the FTSE 250 was up 1.15 percent to 11,360.2. Some banks were substantially higher, but the sector as a whole was mixed. Insurers, pubs operators and online gamblers were also higher. Retailers and the telecommunications sector were lower.

Wall Street was lower after the Institute of Supply Management’s non-manufacturing index, which fell from 55.8 in August to 54.8 last month, showed that the service sector’s expansion slowed in September. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.29 percent to 14,006.67 in early afternoon trade, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.16 percent to 2,742.6 and the S&P 500 fell 0.2 percent to 1,543.46. In addition, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported that applications for mortgages were down last week. Airlines were higher on the session, but the automobile manufacturing sector was mixed on September sales figures.

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