TOKYO: European shares rose in early trading Tuesday and Japan’s benchmark finished higher, cheered by gains on Wall Street, but other Asian markets dipped.
KEEPING SCORE: France’s CAC 40 added 0.5 percent in early trading to 5,335.51. Germany’s DAX rose 0.4 percent to 12,937.85. Britain’s FTSE 100 added 0.3 percent to 7,547.11. U.S. shares were also set to drift higher, with Dow futures edging up 0.1 percent to 31,474. S&P 500 futures rose less than 0.1 percent to 2,448.40.
ASIA’S DAY: Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 added 0.8 percent to finish at 20,230.41. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 edged down 0.8 percent to 5,757.30. South Korea’s Kospi was little changed, inching down less than 0.1 percent to 2,369.23. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.3 percent to 25,843.04, while the Shanghai Composite fell 0.1 percent to 3,140.01.
THE QUOTE: “The rally in U.S. markets reflects a situation where investors are being given no reason to sell. By the same token, valuations are full. Markets have been relatively capped, struggling to re-establish a strong uptrend,” said Ric Spooner, chief market analyst at CMC Markets in Sydney.
CHINA WATCH: Investors were closely watching the MSCI decision on China A-share inclusion to indexes, expected later in the day. Speculation has been growing that MSCI might include Chinese shares in its benchmark.
CURRENCIES: The dollar rose to 111.62 yen from 111.12 late Monday in Asia. The euro fell to $1.1154 from $1.1194.
ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude added 10 cents to $44.53 a barrel. It fell 54 cents to $44.43 per barrel overnight. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 12 cents to $47.03 a barrel.
