Wall Street was cautious this afternoon, after a sell-off on Monday and as investors braced for manufacturing data later today. Shortly after the open, the Dow Jones was up 0.08% and the Nasdaq was down 0.22%.
On the currency markets the euro hit a record high against the yen and Swiss franc and held near a record peak versus the dollar.
The euro has been strengthening on the back of a robust economy with higher interest rate expectations and on assumptions that the US economy is slowing.
The euro climbed to the highest level since its 1999 launch against the yen, rising to 163.34 yen from around 163.10 yen in late US trade.
It was flat against the dollar at $1.3643, but still within sight of last week's record high above $1.3680.
London's FTSE 100 index of leading shares drifted lower in subdued trade, as other European markets shut for the May Day public holiday.
In afternoon deals, the FTSE showed a drop of 0.8% at 6,397. Pub operator Punch Taverns fell 3.4% as investors cashed in some of their recent gains ahead of today's results, which showed a 12% increase in first half profits, as expected.
European stock markets were closed for the day in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Lisbon, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Zurich. In Asia, financial markets in China and Hong Kong were also shut.
The ISEQ was unchanged at 9,470, with hardly any big changes in the heavyweight stocks.
The Turkish lira and shares, which were rattled on Monday, fell 2.5% today as investors, worried by a political crisis, awaited a court ruling on a challenge to the presidential election process.
Japanese share prices closed down 0.7%, hit by overnight losses on Wall Street and light trading in a holiday week. Tokyo's Nikkei-225 index lost 125 points to 17,275.
