Dow passes 14,000 level

Equities markets in the Asia-Pacific region were mixed on Tuesday. The Straits Times index in Singapore was up 0.13 percent to 3,651.05, while in Hong Kong the Hang Seng index was 0.45 percent higher to 23,057.3. In Australia, however, the Sydney Ordinaries dropped fractionally to 6,418.2, while the Sensex was down 0.14 percent to 15,289.82 in India. Tokyo markets were also lower, with the Nikkei 225 falling 0.1 percent to 18,217.27 and the Topix index down 0.3 percent to 1,778.11.

European markets were mostly lower, with the notable exception of Madrid’s IBEX, which added 0.29 percent to 15,153.8. In Paris, the CAC-40 dropped 0.43 percent to 6,099.21, while the Dax was 0.83 percent lower in Frankfurt to close at 8,038.21. The FTSE Eurofirst 300 was down 0.49 percent to 1,622.34. In London the FTSE 100 fell 0.58 percent to 6,659.1, while the FTSE 250 was 0.98 percent lower to 11,801.

Wall Street was up in midday trade after the Dow Jones Industrial Average crossed the 14,000 mark for the first time to a record high of 14,011.51 before dropping back to 13,989.51, still a gain of 0.3 percent at mid-session. The Nasdaq Composite was 0.4 percent higher to 2,707.94, while the S&P 500 had added 0.2 percent to 1,551.86.

Crude oil prices were lower after gaining ground early in the session, while most metals prices were also lower. Lead, however, saw gains.

In currencies markets sterling strengthened, hitting a new 26-year high against the US dollar on new inflation figures. US Treasury bond prices declined and yields were higher.

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