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Stock markets wavered on Friday as investors digested mixed US economic data and awaited a landmark US-Russia summit aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.US President Donald Trump, setting off for the Alaska meeting with Vladimir Putin, described his Russian counterpart as a “smart guy” and hailed a “good respect level” on both sides.The possibility of an end to a conflict that Putin began in 2022 had put the markets in optimistic mood, analysts said, although oil prices had been volatile owing to Russia’s status as a major producer and uncertainty over the outcome of the Alaska meeting.Wall Street opened on a mixed note as data showed US retail sales rose in July in line with analyst expectations.Investors have been tracking US economic data for signs about the impact of Trump’s tariffs.The report comes as surveys point to a partial recovery in consumer sentiment compared with the spring when tariff worries were more acute.Bret Kenwell, US investment analyst at eToro trading platform, said “the conversation around the consumer remains upbeat and healthy”, adding that “consumers are still out there spending”.Separate data showed industrial production unexpectedly fell in July, though only slightly.Trump continued his tariff campaign on Friday, saying he would soon announce massive import duties on semiconductors.Shares in chip giants Nvidia and AMD were down following the news.Markets were also waiting for the Trump-Putin meeting, with Russia’s foreign minister saying his country would not make guesses on the outcome.”We never make any predictions ahead of time,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Russian state TV after landing in Alaska.Putin steps onto Western soil for the first time since he ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a war that has killed tens of thousands of people.Every word and gesture will be closely watched by European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was not invited and has publicly refused pressure from Trump to surrender territory seized by Russia.After climbing Thursday, crude oil futures were lower Friday.”Oil prices have been somewhat volatile ahead of the summit as traders seek to work out if Russian exports to Western countries might resume,” said AJ Bell, investment director Russ Mould.Elsewhere, Tokyo’s main stocks index extended a record-run higher following Japanese economic growth data that beat expectations.Weak Chinese economic figures resulted in a mixed showing for Chinese stocks.- Key figures at around 1410 GMT -New York – Dow: UP 0.2 percent at 44,993.08 pointsNew York – S&P 500: DOWN 0.2 at 6,458.85New York – Nasdaq: DOWN 0.2 percent at 21,669.35London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.4 percent at 9,141.08Paris – CAC 40: UP 0.6 percent at 7,918.74Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 0.1 percent at 24,536.11Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 1.7 percent at 43,378.31 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.0 percent at 25,264.47 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.8 percent at 3,696.77 (close)Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1715 from $1.1657 on ThursdayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3568 from $1.3535 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 146.96 yen from 147.76Euro/pound: UP at 86.38 pence from 86.05 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 1.2 percent at $63.21 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 1.0 percent at $66.15 per barrelburs-jxb/lth

Stock markets mostly rose Friday with all eyes on a landmark US-Russia summit aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.US President Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin meet in Alaska later in the day.After Asia’s main exchanges mostly closed higher, European markets were “gaining traction”, noted Joshua Mahony, chief market analyst at traders Scope Markets, as the Trump-Putin meeting raised hopes of a “potential end to the war”.Russia’s foreign minister said his country would not make guesses on the outcome of Friday’s summit.”We never make any predictions ahead of time,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Russian state TV after landing in Alaska.Putin steps onto Western soil for the first time since he ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a war that has killed tens of thousands of people.Every word and gesture will be closely watched by European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was not included and has publicly refused pressure from Trump to surrender territory seized by Russia.”Broadly, markets seemed in an optimistic mood,” said AJ Bell, investment director Russ Mould.”Oil prices have been somewhat volatile ahead of the summit as traders seek to work out if Russian exports to Western countries might resume.”After climbing Thursday, crude futures were lower Friday.Elsewhere, Tokyo’s main stocks index extended a record-run higher following Japanese economic growth data that beat expectations.Weak Chinese economic figures resulted in a mixed showing for Chinese stocks.Wall Street finished little changed on Thursday as US wholesale inflation data tempered optimism about the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates. A quarter-point cut is still expected next month but a larger half-point rate cut is likely “off the table”, said Jack Ablin of Cresset Capital Management.- Key figures at around 1100 GMT -London – FTSE 100: UP 0.1 percent at 9,185.95 pointsParis – CAC 40: UP 0.7 percent at 7,926.17Frankfurt – DAX: UP 0.3 percent at 24,438.63Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 1.7 percent at 43,378.31 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.0 percent at 25,264.47 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.8 percent at 3,696.77 (close)Euro/dollar: UP at $1.692 from $1.1657 on ThursdayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3561 from $1.3535 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 146.92 yen from 147.76Euro/pound: UP at 86.22 pence from 86.05 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.6 percent at $63.59 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.5 percent at $66.53 per barrelburs-bcp/ajb/jxb

The world’s first-ever humanoid robot games began Friday in Beijing, with over 500 androids alternating between jerky tumbles and glimpses of real power as they compete in events from the 100-metre hurdles to kung fu.Hundreds of robotics teams from 16 countries are going for gold at the Chinese capital’s National Speed Skating Oval, built for the 2022 Winter Olympics. The games include traditional sports like athletics and basketball, as well as practical tasks such as medicine categorisation and cleaning.”I believe in the next 10 years or so, robots will be basically at the same level as humans,” enthusiastic 18-year-old spectator Chen Ruiyuan told AFP. Human athletes might not be quaking in their boots just yet. At one of the first events on Friday morning, five-aside football, 10 robots the size of seven-year-olds shuffled around the pitch, often getting stuck in a scrum or falling over en masse. However, in a 1500-metre race, domestic champion Unitree’s humanoids stomped along the track at an impressive clip, easily outpacing their rivals. The fastest robot AFP witnessed finished in 6:29:37, a far cry from the human men’s world record of 3:26:00.One mechanical racer barrelled straight into a human operator. The robot remained standing, while the human was knocked flat, though did not appear to be injured. – ‘National strategy’ -Robot competitions have been held for decades, but the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games is the first to focus specifically on robots that resemble human bodies, organisers said.The Chinese government has poured support into robotics hoping to lead the industry.Beijing has put humanoids in the “centre of their national strategy”, the International Federation of Robotics wrote in a paper on Thursday. “The government wants to showcase its competence and global competitiveness in this field of technology,” it added.Authorities are working to raise awareness of the sector across society. Cui Han, accompanying her 10-year-old, told AFP that her son’s school had organised and paid for the trip to the Games. “I hope it will encourage him to learn more about these new technologies,” she said.  In March, China announced plans for a one-trillion-yuan fund to support technology startups, including those in robotics and AI.The country is already the world’s largest market for industrial robots, official statistics show, and in April, Beijing held what organisers dubbed the world’s first humanoid robot half-marathon.Chen, the spectator, told AFP he was about to begin studying automation at university. “Coming here can cultivate my passion for this field,” he said. “My favourite is the boxing, because… it requires a lot of agility and I can really see how the robots have improved from before.” Meanwhile, at the kung fu competition area, a pint-sized robot resembling one from the popular Transformer series attempted to execute a move, but fell flat on its front. It spun around on the floor as it struggled to get back up, the crowd happily cheering. 

Asian stocks were mixed Friday after better-than-expected Japanese growth and weak Chinese data, while oil slipped back ahead of a US-Russia summit on Ukraine.On Thursday Wall Street finished little changed as strong wholesale inflation data tempered optimism about the US Federal Reserve cutting interest rates.A quarter-point cut is still expected but a larger half-point rate cut is likely “off the table”, said Jack Ablin of Cresset Capital Management.Intel surged 7.4 percent following a Bloomberg News report that US President Donald Trump is considering an investment in the beleaguered chip company in exchange for a government stake.Japan’s economy grew 0.3 percent in the three months to June, while output for the previous period was revised upwards, averting a possible technical recession for the world’s number four economy.The expansion came despite tariffs imposed by Trump on Japanese imports, including on cars — an industry accounting for eight percent of Japanese jobs.In morning trade in Asia, the Nikkei was up almost one percent while Shanghai, Seoul and Sydney also moved higher.But Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell for the second straight day after Chinese retail sales and industrial production grew at a slower rate than expected last month.A long-term crisis in the real estate sector and high youth unemployment have been weighing on Chinese consumer sentiment for several years.The situation has worsened with the heightened turmoil sparked by Trump’s trade war.Oil prices dipped, reversing gains on Thursday ahead of Trump’s Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on ending the Ukraine war.Oil traders are worried “that if the meeting doesn’t go well, we’ll see stronger sanctions on Russian oil thereby depriving the world of or making it much difficult for this oil to get to the market”, said Stephen Schork of the Schork Group.- Key figures at around 0230 GMT -Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.9 percent at 43,036.46Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.1 percent at 25,236.62Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.3 percent at 3,675.05Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1658 from $1.1657 on ThursdayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3543 from $1.3535 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 147.28 yen from 147.76Euro/pound: UP at 86.06 pence from 86.05 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.2 percent at $63.84 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.1 percent at $66.76 per barrelNew York – Dow: DOWN less than 0.1 percent at 44,911.26 (close)London – FTSE 100: UP 0.1 percent at 9,177.24 (close)burs-stu/dhc

Japan eked out modest growth in the second quarter despite painful US tariffs, official data showed Friday, in welcome news to embattled Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.A preliminary estimate showed gross domestic product (GDP) in the world’s number four economy growing 0.3 percent in the three months to June, above market forecasts of 0.1 percent.The cabinet office data also saw a revision upwards for its reading for the previous quarter to show an expansion of 0.1 percent.On an annualised basis, GDP grew 1.0 percent, beating market forecasts of 0.4 percent and following 0.6 percent in the last quarter.The previous estimate was for a contraction and, without the revision, a second negative reading would have put Japan in technical recession.The new figures are a fillip for Ishiba, whose future has been uncertain since the disastrous upper house elections in July.With voters angry about the cost of living, his coalition lost its majority months after it suffered a similar catastrophe in the lower chamber.An opinion poll this week by broadcaster NHK suggested, however, that more people want Ishiba to stay than to quit. There is also no obvious successor to the 68-year-old leader, who took office in October, while the opposition is likely too fragmented to form an alternative government.- Trade deal -The economic growth came despite tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump being applied to Japanese imports into the United States.Causing particular pain are levies of 27.5 percent on Japanese cars, a sector that accounts for eight percent of all jobs in Japan.Japan last month secured a trade deal that cut a threatened 25 percent “reciprocal” tariffs on other Japanese goods to 15 percent.The rate on Japanese cars was also cut to 15 percent, although to Tokyo’s consternation, this has yet to take effect.Toyota this month cut its annual net income forecast by 14 percent, projecting a $9.5 billion hit from the tariffs this year.First-quarter profits halved at Honda, but the firm lowered its forecast for the tariff impact, as did electronics giant Sony.Economist Yoshiki Shinke at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute said that Japan’s economy still faces “many downside risks”, with exports the major concern.Automakers “are expected to rethink their pricing strategies, and there is a possibility they may move to raise prices in the future,” Shinke said in a note.”In such a case, sales volumes in the US are likely to decrease, and export volumes could also be pressured downward,” Shinke said before the release of the data.- ‘Behind the curve’ -Trump’s administration, meanwhile, is seen as pressuring the Bank of Japan (BoJ) to hike interest rates, which could put a brake on growth.The BoJ has been reluctant to raise borrowing costs, seeing above-target inflation as caused by temporary factors.”The Japanese have an inflation problem,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Bloomberg TV after speaking to the BoJ governor.”They are behind the curve, so they are going to be hiking,” Bessent said.Experts said the comments were likely driven by the Trump administration’s desire to weaken the dollar and address rising yields on US long-term bonds.Marcel Thieliant at Capital Economics said that despite the better-than-expected GDP figures, growth will “slow a bit over the coming quarters.””Nonetheless, with inflation set to remain far above the BoJ’s 2-percent target, we’re increasingly confident in our forecast that the Bank will resume its tightening cycle in October,” Thieliant said.

Tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on dozens of countries have so far not affected container ship traffic through the Panama Canal, its administrator said Thursday.Allies and adversaries alike are facing higher levies on exports to the United States as Trump’s long-threatened “reciprocal” tariffs go into effect over trade practices he considers unfair.Analysts have predicted that the aggressive policy will slow down traffic through the Panama Canal, through which five percent of all global shipping passes.”The results of this fiscal year will be in line with what we projected” in terms of revenue and cargo, canal administrator Ricaurte Vasquez told AFP.The Panama Canal Authority had projected record revenues of $5.6 billion in the fiscal year ending September 30, an increase of 12.7 percent over last year’s figure. It forecast 13,900 ships would pass through the canal during the same period, carrying 520 million tons of cargo. But Vasquez called it “probable” that as time goes on, the volume of cargo could decrease as a result of the tariffs.The 80-kilometer (50-mile) canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans serves more than 1,900 ports in 170 countries, notably providing China, Japan and South Korea greater access to the US East Coast. Earlier this week, China and the United States delayed higher tariffs on each other’s exports for 90 days.

Wall Street stocks finished little changed Thursday as markets absorbed a disappointing inflation report, while oil prices shot higher on the eve of a US-Russia summit on Ukraine.After a negative start, major US indices worked their way back up to even following July wholesale price data.The producer price index rose 0.9 percent on a month-on-month basis, much greater than analysts expected following benign consumer pricing data earlier this week. “The large spike in the Producer Price Index (PPI) this morning shows inflation is coursing through the economy, even if it hasn’t been felt by consumers yet,” said Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer for US-based Northlight Asset Management.Zaccarelli called the report a “most unwelcome surprise,” adding that it is “likely to unwind some of the optimism of a ‘guaranteed’ rate cut next month” from the Federal Reserve.However, futures markets still were betting on a quarter point interest rate decrease, but the PPI data likely means a large half-point rate cut is “off the table,” said Jack Ablin of Cresset Capital Management.All three major US indices finished within 0.1 percent of their start points.In Europe, the main markets in Paris, Frankfurt and London registered positive figures by the close of trading.London rallied back into the green from an earlier slump as data showed the UK economy had slowed in the second quarter — though less than feared — as Trump’s tariffs came into effect.Meanwhile, oil prices finished up around two percent as traders nervously awaited US President Donald Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid fears by European leaders that Putin will cajole Trump into a settlement imposed on Ukraine.But oil traders are worried about a different outcome: “that if the meeting doesn’t go well, we’ll see stronger sanctions on Russian oil thereby depriving the world of or making it much difficult for this oil to get to the market,” said Stephen Schork of the Schork Group.The market is “very nervous,” Schork added. Among individual companies, Intel surged 7.4 percent following a Bloomberg News report that Trump is considering an investment in the beleaguered chip company in exchange for a government stake. Such a deal would represent Trump’s latest departure from the US government’s traditional laissez-faire posture towards business.- Key figures at around 2030 GMT -New York – Dow: DOWN less than 0.1 percent at 44,911.26 (close)New York – S&P 500: UP less than 0.1 percent at 6,468.54 (close)New York – Nasdaq: DOWN FLAT at 21,710.67 (close)London – FTSE 100: UP 0.1 percent at 9,177.24 (close)Paris – CAC 40: UP 0.8 percent at 7,870.34 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: UP 0.8 percent at 24,377.50 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.5 percent at 42,649.26 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.5 percent at 25,489.59 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.5 percent at 3,666.44 (close)Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1657 from $1.1705 on WednesdayPound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3535 from $1.3576 Dollar/yen: UP at 147.76 yen from 147.38 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 86.05 pence from 86.21 penceBrent North Sea Crude: UP 1.8 percent at $66.84 per barrelWest Texas Intermediate: UP 2.1 percent at $63.96 per barrelburs-jmb/jgc

Wall Street shares fell Thursday after data showed US producer price inflation surged far more than expected in July, denting optimism that the Federal Reserve would soon start cutting interest rates.Analysts said the surprise spike raised concerns that President Donald Trump’s tariffs were having an impact on businesses, which could soon pass on the higher prices to consumers.The broad-based S&P 500 index of leading companies and the tech-heavy Nasdaq fell throughout the morning in New York, retreating from record highs set the previous day.In Europe, however, the main markets in Paris, Frankfurt and London registered positive figures by the close of trading.London rallied back into the green from an earlier slump as data showed the UK economy had slowed in the second quarter — though less than feared — as Trump’s tariffs came into effect.The US producer price index (PPI) rose 0.9 percent on a month-on-month basis in July, much higher than the 0.2 percent forecast by analysts after a flat reading in June.”The large spike in the Producer Price Index (PPI) this morning shows inflation is coursing through the economy, even if it hasn’t been felt by consumers yet,” said Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer for US-based Northlight Asset Management.The shock figure came after data on Tuesday showed that US consumer inflation held steady in July at 2.7 percent on an annual basis.The two diverging inflation figures complicate the task of the Federal Reserve, which had been widely expected to begin cutting rates in September.Zaccarelli said the PPI figure was a “most unwelcome surprise to the upside and is likely to unwind some of the optimism of a ‘guaranteed’ rate cut next month”.Bitcoin, which had hit a record high of $124,514.59 on rate-cut hopes, tumbled to $118,297 following the inflation report.”Today’s hot PPI data has reduced the case for a September rate cut ever so slightly,” said Fawad Razaqzada, an analyst at City Index and Forex.com.He said, however, that the market was “still nearly fully” expecting the Fed to cut its rate next month.”It is likely that the Fed will see through the rise as the one-time increase and their concerns about the jobs market may make them more open to the idea of resuming rate cuts from September,” he said.Elsewhere, oil prices rose as traders awaited Friday’s Alaska summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose sanctions-hit country is a major crude producer.- Key figures at around 1545 GMT -New York – Dow: DOWN 0.4 percent at 44,750.17 pointsNew York – S&P 500: DOWN 0.3 percent at 6,445.48New York – Nasdaq: DOWN 0.1 percent at 21,648.61 London – FTSE 100: UP 0.1 percent at 9,177.24 (close)Paris – CAC 40: UP 0.8 percent at 7,870.34 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: UP 0.8 percent at 24,377.50 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.5 percent at 42,649.26 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.5 percent at 25,489.59 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.5 percent at 3,666.44 (close)Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1658 from $1.1704 on WednesdayPound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3544 from $1.3577 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 147.29 yen from 147.40 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 86.10 pence from 86.21 penceBrent North Sea Crude: UP 1.4 percent at $66.54 per barrelWest Texas Intermediate: UP 1.5 percent at $63.61 per barrelburs-bcp-lth-jxb/js

India and China are discussing resuming border trade five years after it was halted, foreign ministry officials on both sides have said, as US tariffs disrupt the global trade order.Past trade between the neighbours across the icy and high-altitude Himalayan border passes was usually small in volume, but any resumption is significant for its symbolism.The two major economic powers have long competed for strategic influence across South Asia.However, the two countries, caught in global trade and geopolitical turbulence triggered by US President Donald Trump’s tariff regime, have moved to mend ties.Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected for talks in New Delhi on Monday, according to Indian media, after his counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited Beijing in July.That, as well as agreements to resume direct flights and issue tourist visas, has been seen as an effort to rebuild a relationship damaged after a deadly 2020 border clash between troops. “For a long time, China–India border trade cooperation has played an important role in improving the lives of people living along the border,” China’s foreign ministry said in a statement sent to AFP on Thursday.It said the two sides have “reached a consensus on cross-border exchanges and cooperation, including resumption of border trade”.New Delhi’s junior foreign minister, Kirti Vardhan Singh, told parliament last week that “India has engaged with the Chinese side to facilitate the resumption of border trade”.No restart date was given by either side.- ‘Transitions and challenges’ -Successive US administrations have seen India as a longstanding ally with like-minded interests when it comes to China.India is part of the Quad security alliance with the United States, as well as Australia and Japan.However, ties between New Delhi and Washington have been strained by Trump’s ultimatum for India to end its purchases of Russian oil, a key source of revenue for Moscow as it wages its military offensive in Ukraine.The United States will double new import tariffs on India from 25 percent to 50 percent by August 27 if New Delhi does not switch crude suppliers.Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal told reporters on Thursday that the partnership between New Delhi and Washington had “weathered several transitions and challenges”.Jaiswal said India hoped that the “relationship will continue to move forward based on mutual respect and shared interests”.He said India “stands ready” to support the efforts to end the Ukraine war and endorses the summit to be held between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to Indian media, might also visit China in late August. It would be Modi’s first visit since 2018, although it has not been confirmed officially.Beijing has said that “China welcomes Prime Minister Modi” for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit opening on August 31.burs-bb/pjm/pbt

European and Asian stock markets diverged Thursday and bitcoin hit a record high on the eve of landmark talks between US President Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on potentially ending the Ukraine war.Most European equity indices climbed after major Asian peers ended lower.Bitcoin hit a new peak at $124,514.59 in Asian trading, before cooling to around $121,500. The world’s biggest cryptocurrency is benefitting from expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut US interest rates before 2026, which is weighing on the dollar.Bitcoin is also winning investor support thanks to strong backing for the cryptocurrency sector from Trump.”An accommodative stance from the Trump administration combined with expectations of a September Fed rate cut have helped to propel gains for bitcoin,” Victoria Scholar, head of investment at Interactive Investor, noted Thursday.The pound won some support thanks to expectations that the Bank of England may not follow up its interest-rate cut last week with another reduction this year.The currency’s rise weighed on London’s FTSE 100 index of top companies, some of which earn in dollars.Britain’s economy performed better than expected in the second quarter as it weathered the impact of US tariffs and a higher UK business tax, official data showed Thursday.On Friday, Putin and Trump are to discuss ways to settle the Ukraine conflict during a summit in Alaska, the Kremlin said.The meeting will be the first between sitting US and Russian presidents since 2021, and comes as Trump seeks to broker an end to Russia’s nearly three-and-a-half year offensive.”It is probably obvious to everyone that the central topic will be the resolution of the Ukraine crisis,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.Oil prices edged higher Thursday, with market watchers waiting to see if the meeting’s outcome affects trading of crude, of which Russia is a major supplier.- Key figures at around 1100 GMT -London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.1 percent at 9,156.32 pointsParis – CAC 40: UP 0.3 percent at 7,826.19Frankfurt – DAX: UP 0.4 percent at 24,286.34Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.5 percent at 42,649.26Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.5 percent at 25,489.59Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.5 percent at 3,666.44New York – Dow: UP 1.0 percent at 44,922.27 (close)Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1693 from $1.1704 on WednesdayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3586 from $1.3577 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 146.54 yen from 147.40 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 86.12 pence from 86.21 penceBrent North Sea Crude: UP 0.1 percent at $65.72 per barrelWest Texas Intermediate: UP 0.1 percent at $62.72 per barrelburs-bcp/ajb/jxb