The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq opened stronger on Wall Street today as chipmakers returned to the driver's seat in a volatile week that also marked the start of the fourth-quarter earnings season.
The Dow Jones rose 24 points (0.05%) at the open to trade at 49,466, while the S&P 500 gained 16 points (0.23%) to stand at 6,960 and the Nasdaq Composite was up 109 points (0.47%) to reach 23,639.
European shares continued to register losses this afternoon as a pullback in gold prices dragged mining stocks lower, countering strength in defence shares. London's FTSE index dipped three points (0.04%) to stand at 10,235 by 2.45pm, while the Paris CAC was down 65 points (0.8%) to trade at 8,248 and the Frankfurt DAX lost 76 points (0.3%) to reach 25,276.
Dublin's ISEQ index was flat at 13,067 this afternoon. Shares in PTSB jumped 6% to stand at €2.96, while Glanbia was up 1% to trade at €15.75. But shares in Uniphar were down 2.3% to reach €3.61 and Kingspan was down 0.8% to hit €72.05.
Earlier in Asian trade, Tokyo's Nikkei index lost 174 points (0.3%) to close at 53,936, falling for a second consecutive session as investors took a breather from a rally driven by hopes for more fiscal stimulus. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index dipped 78 points (0.3%) to finish at 26,845 on the back of weaker technology shares.
