A roundup of trading on major world markets:
NEW YORK – US stocks ended a choppy session mixed Thursday amid scepticism that European leaders will forge a deal on resolving the eurozone debt crisis in coming days.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 37.16 points (0.32 per cent) to finish at 11,541.78.
The broader S&P 500 rose 5.51 points (0.46 per cent) to 1,215.39, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite dropped 5.42 points (0.21 per cent) to 2,598.62.
Divisions among European Union member nations over how to resolve the eurozone sovereign debt crisis had markets on both sides of the Atlantic on edge.
A European Union summit slated Sunday will now be followed by a second summit by Wednesday, the leaders of France and Germany said.
Some mildly positive economic indicators were offset by weakness in tech stocks.
Sentiment was encouraged by a fall in weekly jobless claims, confirming a downward trend since early April.
Also helping was a surge in the regional economic index of the Philadelphia branch of the Federal Reserve, showing better than expected activity in manufacturing, the best in three months.
Existing-home sales fell 3.0 per cent in September, in line with forecasts.
After the market closed, Microsoft reported fiscal first-quarter profit rose six per cent, to $US5.74 billion ($A5.63 billion), in line with analyst expectations, and revenue that beat forecasts. Shares were down 1.2 per cent in after-hours trading.
Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 2.18 per cent from 2.16 per cent late Wednesday, while the 30-year Treasury climbed to 3.20 per cent from 3.17.
LONDON – European stocks fell and the euro slipped as Brussels urged leaders to seek compromise ahead of a key EU summit amid reports that a vital rescue fund decision will be put off to another day.
Traders were anxious with the weekend summit fast approaching, hoping that European leaders will finally come up with a concrete plan to stick to but fully prepared for disappointment after so many false starts.
At the close, London’s benchmark FTSE-100 index of leading shares was down 1.21 per cent to 5,384.68 points.
In Frankfurt, the DAX fell 2.49 per cent to 5,766.48 points.
In Paris, the CAC-40 shed 2.32 per cent to 3,084.07 points.
Elsewhere in Europe, Milan was down 1.90 per cent, Madrid 1.17 per cent, Lisbon 1.16 per cent, Zurich 0.74 per cent and Amsterdam 0.89 per cent.
The European single currency fell in volatile trade to $US1.3680 from $US1.3754 in New York late Wednesday. The dollar fell to 76.89 yen from 76.99 yen.
HONG KONG – Asian markets fell on lingering eurozone debt fears and following losses on Wall Street as the Federal Reserve warned that the US economy was still weak.
Tokyo closed 1.03 per cent, or 90.39 points, lower at 8,682.15, Sydney fell 1.63 per cent, or 68.8 points, to 4,144.9 and Seoul closed 2.74 per cent down, or 50.83 points, at 1,805.09.
Hong Kong closed 1.78 per cent, or 326.12 points, down at 17,983.10 and Shanghai lost 1.94 per cent, or 46.14 points, to 2,331.37.
Many investors have stayed away from the markets, unsure about the future of the eurozone due to what they consider weak leadership.
WELLINGTON – Wellington fell 0.31 per cent, or 10.26 points, to 3,289.77.
