European markets higher on session

Asian and Pacific equities markets were mixed again on Wednesday. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong dropped 0.22 percent to 20,798.97, while the Sensex was 0.63 percent lower to 14,363.26 in India. In Australia, however, the Sydney Ordinaries added 0.34 percent to 6,372. The Straits Times index in Singapore gained 0.77 percent to 3,552.31. Tokyo markets also saw advances, with the Nikkei 225 up 0.1 percent to 17,705.12 and the Topix index 0.5 percent higher to 1,740.08.

European equities markets were higher. The Eurofirst 300 was up 0.73 percent to 1,609.31. The CAC-40 added 0.5 percent to 6,120.2 in Paris, while in Frankfurt the Dax gained 1 percent to 7,735.88 and the IBEX in Madrid was 1.02 percent higher to 15,223.9. In London, the FTSE 100 added 0.19 percent to 6,619.4, while the FTSE 250 gained 0.36 percent to 12,220

The New York equities markets were higher at midday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.28 percent higher to 13,578.15 after having gone as high as 13,609.76, the first time the Dow has ever breached the 13,600 level. The Nasdaq Composite gained 0.27 percent to 2,595.12, while the S&P 500 added 0.36 percent to 1,529.54, again above its record closing high. The Russell 2000 index of small and mid-caps was 0.39 percent higher to 843.18.

Precious metals prices were higher, and so were oil prices after US warships entered the Persian Gulf unannounced for what were called “training maneuvers”. There were also reports that Iran is ramping up its uranium enrichment program.

The Canadian dollar hit a 30-year high versus the US dollar. Meanwhile, sterling strengthened after the latest Bank of England minutes revealed that the Monetary Policy Committee vote to raise interest rates earlier this month was unanimous.

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