European markets are mixed Monday as investors pull back in response to last week’s dismal U.S. retail figures, along with the worsening COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of the January 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol building.
Britain’s FTSE index is down 0.3% at midday. France’s CAC-40 index is also 0.3% lower, while the DAX index in Germany is up 10 points but unchanged percentage-wise (+0.08%).
Asian markets began the trading week on a downward spiral hours earlier. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei index fell 0.9%. Australia’s S&P/ASX index closed down 0.7%. The KOSPI index in South Korea plunged 2.3%, while Taiwan’s TSEC lost just over 4 points, but was virtually unchanged percentage-wise (0.03%) and the Sensex in Mumbai was down 0.9%.
Shanghai’s Composite index closed 0.8% higher and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rose just over one percent, spurred by news that China’s economy grew 2.3% in 2020, overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic that has shattered much of the global economy.
In commodities trading, gold is up 0.1%, selling at $1,831.80. U.S. crude oil is selling at $52.19, down 0.3%, and Brent crude is selling at $54.82, down 0.5%.
All three major U.S. indices are closed in observance of the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday.
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