FTSE 100 up in London but 200 sees declines

Equities markets were mixed in London on Monday, with the FTSE 100 up 0.16 percent to 6,565.4 but the FTSE 250 falling 2.6 percent to 10,630.3. Home builders, general construction groups, and the construction materials sector all saw gains, as did directories publishers and the retail sector. Pubs operators, the oil sector and makers of lifting equipment were lower on the session.

European markets, however, saw gains. The FTSE Eurofirst 300 added 0.6 percent to 1,547.8. In Madrid, the IBEX gained 0.08 percent to 15,832.7. Frankfurt’s Dax was up 0.49 percent to 8,033.36 while the Paris CAC-40 was 0.56 percent higher to 5,750.92. Banks, carmakers, and the constructions materials sector were all higher on the session. There were losses among industrial gases groups, utilities, and in the oil sector.

Most equities markets in the Asia-Pacific region saw declines on Monday after Swiss bank UBS (SWX: USBN; NYSE: UBS; TYO: 8657) took $10 billion in writedowns, renewing concerns that losses from the US subprime mortgage crisis have not yet seen their peak. The major exception among losses in the region’s markets was the Shanghai Composite, which added 1.38 percent to 5,161.92. Otherwise, Singapore’s Straits Times index was 0.14 percent lower to 3,553,08 while in India, Sensex fell 0.18 percent to 19,930.68. The Sydney Ordinaries dropped 0.42 percent to 6,686.1 and the S&P/ASX200 was down 0.44 percent to 6,625.1 in Australia. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng was 1.18 percent lower to 28,501.1 while Taiwan’s Taiex fell 1.43 percent to 8,598.03 and the Kospi index dropped 1.44 percent to 1,906.42 in South Korea.

Tokyo’s markets were also lower. The Nikkei 225 was down 0.2 percent to 15,924.39 while the Topix index was 0.21 percent lower to 1,558.51 and the Mothers market fell 1.21 percent to 874.48. Banks were higher and businesses related to the manufacture of computer chips saw mixed results while some in the electronics sector and oil-related shares saw declines.

In New York, the markets were higher in late afternoon trade ahead of the Federal Reserve’s decision on interest rates, due Tuesday, and on data showing that pending home sales were up in October. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.56 percent higher to 13,701.35 while the Nasdaq Composite had gained 0.29 percent to 2,713.89 and the S&P 500 was up 0.49 percent to 1,512.09. The construction equipment sector, private equity, miners, and the fast food sector all saw gains.

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