US share prices moved higher this afternoon after a drop in crude oil prices and a report showing more softness in the housing market helped ease tensions on interest rates. The US strength also lifted European markets from earlier lows.
The Dow Jones was up 115 points at 13,475, while the Nasdaq was 14 points higher at 2,603. In London, the FTSE gained 21 points to 6,588. Paris ended down 0.3%, while Frankfurt lost 0.2%, but both indices had been more than 1% lower earlier.
In Dublin, the ISEQ ended down 11 points at 9,385, with drinks group C&C off 42 cent at €10.73 on fears that a wet summer would hit cider sales. Insurer FBD was down more than 4% at €31.50 after a trading statement which warned of intense price competition in the insurance market.
In Asia, Japanese share prices closed down 0.6% to 18,087. Chinese equities lost nearly 4% as investors worried over another possible rate hike.
