Wall Street's main indexes had a subdued open today as investors avoided large bets and waited for a long-delayed key inflation report that could shape the Federal Reserve's policy path.
The Dow Jones inched 28 points (0.06%) higher at the open to stand at 47,879, while the S&P 500 rose nine points (0.13%) to trade at 6,866 and the Nasdaq Composite gained 62 points (0.27%) to reach 23,567 at the opening bell.
Most European stock markets moved higher this afternoon on the back of gains in mining stocks after the price of copper hit record highs. The Paris CAC index inched three points (0.04%) higher to stand at 8,125 by 2.45pm, while the Frankfurt DAX gained 210 points (0.9%) to reach 24,094 but London's FTSE index dipped 16 points (0.1%) to reach 9,695.
Dublin's ISEQ index was higher this afternoon, adding 25 points (0.2%) to hit 12,772. Shares in Kingspan rose 2.2% to stand at €75.10, while Glanbia was up 1.5% to trade at €15.12. Shares in Kerry Group gained 0.9% to reach €78.35 and Bank of Ireland advaced 0.8% to hit €16.20.
Earlier in Asian trade, Tokyo's Nikkei index lost 536 points (1%) to close at 50,492 after weaker than expected spending data underscored the scourge of inflation as bets grew that the Bank of Japan would increase interest rates. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gained 149 points (0.6%) to end at 26,085 as renewed optimism on Chinese chipmakers boosted sentiment.
