London’s FTSE 100 closed in red on Tuesday as the strong pound brought export-heavy companies down, though the stock of HSBC outperformed others following its quarterly profit surge.
The blue chip FTSE 100 closed 18 points or 0.26 per cent down at 6,944, while the domestically focused FTSE 250 closed 144 points down, or 0.64 per cent at 22,433.
Industrial software company Aveva Group fell over 5 per cent after after its chief executive Craig Hayman said he was stepping down.
Other European counterparts like CAC and DAX also closed in red yesterday.
The US stocks closed flat followed by earnings from technology companies and other corporate giants. Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.01 per cent to end at 33,984 points, while the S&P 500 lost 0.02 per cent to 4,186. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.34 per cent, to 14,090.
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On Wednesday, Asian shares were mixed as investors await global cues ahead of a US Federal Reserve meeting. Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained in trade at over 100 points around noon, after trailing in the early hours, while Hang Seng also traded in green.
However, South Korea’s Kospi fell up to 0.9 per cent by noon, and Shanghai Composite was little changed. Australian stocks rose 0.52 per cent.
Meanwhile, Indian markets opened higher on Wednesday as the Sensex opened above 49,000 and traded half a per cent higher, while Nifty opened at 14,710.