European markets are mixed Tuesday, a reversal from Asia’s solid gains earlier in the day.
The FTSE index in London is down 0.2% at midday, while Paris’s CAC-40 index is up 0.2% and Frankfurt’s DAX index is up eight points but unchanged percentage-wise.
In Asia, the Nikkei index in Tokyo ended 0.5% higher. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong finished 0.9%. Sydney’s S&P/ASX index was up 0.3%. The KOSPI index in Seoul gained 0.3%, and Taipei’s TSEC index finished 1.2% higher.
Mumbai’s Sensex is trading 1.5% higher in late afternoon trading.
Shanghai’s Composite index is closed all week for a national holiday.
Investors in Asia were upbeat over U.S. President Donald Trump's return to the White House Monday evening, ending a three-day stay at Walter Reed Military Medical Center near Washington, where he was treated for COVID-19. Optimism also grew over news that U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spoke briefly early Monday about a compromise pandemic relief spending package.
In commodities trading, gold is selling at $1,918.30 an ounce, down but unchanged percentage-wise. U.S. crude oil is trading at $39.68 per barrel, up 1.1%, and Brent crude oil is trading at $41.78 per barrel, also up 0.4%.
In futures trading, the Nasdaq and S&P indices are trending negatively, while the Nasdaq is unchanged percentage-wise as Wall Street prepares to ring the opening bell.