A roundup of trading on major world markets:
NEW YORK – Weakness in petroleum-linked equities have weighed on US stocks following poor earnings from ExxonMobil and Chevron and a drop in oil prices.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 55.52 points (0.31 per cent) to 17,690.46.
The broad-based S&P 500 dropped 4.71 (0.22 per cent) to 2,103.92, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index slipped 0.50 (0.01 per cent) to 5,128.28.
Dow component ExxonMobil shed 4.6 per cent after reporting net income fell by 52.3 per cent year-over-year to $US4.2 billion ($A5.8 billion) in the second quarter. Chevron lost 4.9 per cent as it reported about a 90 per cent drop in profits to just $US571 million.
LONDON – Europe’s main stock markets ended higher, as investors digested economic data from around the world alongside more earnings updates.
London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index gained 0.41 per cent to finish at 6,696.28 points.
In the eurozone, the CAC 40 in Paris climbed 0.72 per cent to end the day at 5,082.61 points, while Frankfurt’s DAX 30 won 0.46 per cent to close at 11,308.99 points.
The euro advanced to $US1.1036 from $US1.0931 late in New York on Thursday.
Analysts were disappointed in the eurozone data on Friday.
Inflation in the 19-nation eurozone was unchanged in July while the jobless rate for June was also flat, suggesting the economy maintained only modest growth, official data showed.
HONG KONG – Most Asian markets advanced on a healthy batch of economic growth data out of the United States, but Shanghai sank again, extending the previous day’s sell-off.
Tokyo reversed morning losses to end 0.30 per cent higher, adding 62.41 points to 20,585.24, while Sydney was up 0.52 per cent, or 29.68 points, at 5,699.2 and Seoul gained 0.55 per cent, or 11.13 points, to 2,030.16.
Hong Kong was 0.56 per cent higher, adding 138.30 points to 24,636.28, while Shanghai ended down 1.13 per cent, or 42.04 points, at 3,663.73 as it struggles to recover from a recent plunge.
WELLINGTON – The S&P/NZX 50 index rose 29.1 points, or 0.5 per cent, to 5,920.95.