European markets were mixed Wednesday as investors prepared to turn the page to a new year after a turbulent 2020.
Britain’s benchmark FTSE index was up just over one point at midday, but virtually unchanged percentage-wise (+0.03%). The CAC-40 index in France dropped nearly one-half of one point (-0.01%), while Germany’s DAX index was up more than 11 points (+0.09%).
Asian markets finished mostly higher on the next-to-last day of 2020, led by Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index, which soared 2.1%. Solid gains were also recorded in Shanghai, where the Composite index finished just over one percent higher. In Seoul, the KOSPI rose 1.8%, while the TSEC index in Taipei earned 1.4%, and the Sensex in Mumbai finished 0.2% higher.
Meanwhile, the Nikkei index in Tokyo lost 0.4%, while Sydney’s S&P/ASX dropped 0.2%.
In commodities trading, gold was selling at $1,882.00 an ounce, down less than a point but virtually unchanged (-0.05%). U.S. crude oil was selling at $48.46 an ounce, up 0.9%, and Brent crude oil was selling at $51.39, up 0.5%.
In futures trading, all three major U.S. indices were trending positively ahead of the opening bell on Wall Street.
