Global markets are mostly higher Thursday despite rising new cases of COVID-19 and worsening ties between the United States and China.
Asian markets ended the trading day with mixed results. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index closed 0.8% higher, while the Shanghai Composite index was 0.2% lower.
Sydney’s S&P/ASX index gained 0.3%. The KOSPI index in Seoul fell 0.5%, Taipei’s TSEC index dropped 0.4%, and Mumbai’s Sensex was 0.7% higher.
The Nikkei index in Tokyo is closed Thursday and Friday for a national holiday.
The outlook is far better in Europe at the midday point of the trading day. The FTSE in London is up 0.5%, the CAC-40 in Paris is 0.4% higher, and Frankfurt’s DAX index is up 0.5%.
Oil markets continue to struggle Thursday. U.S. crude is trading at $41.80 per barrel, down 0.2%, and the international benchmark Brent crude is also 0.2% lower, selling at $44.19 per barrel.
The Dow Jones, S&P 500 and the NASDAQ are all trending positively in futures trading ahead of Wall Street’s opening bell.
