Global markets are mostly higher Wednesday despite the surge of COVID-19 cases in the United States.
Earlier in the day in Asia, Japan’s Nikkei index lost 0.7% at the closing bell. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong earned 0.5%, while the Shanghai Composite gained 1.3%.
Australia’s S&P/ASX rose 0.6% and Taiwan’s TSEC index was up 0.7%, while the KOSPI index in South Korea lost 1.63 points but was essentially unchanged percentage-wise. Mumbai’s Sensex was up 1.5% in late afternoon trading.
Over in Europe, London’s FTSE index is virtually unchanged. France’s CAC-40 index is slightly lower at 0.1%, and Frankfurt’s DAX index is up 0.6%.
Oil markets are on the rise Wednesday — U.S. crude oil is trading at $40.34 per barrel, up 2.7%, and Brent crude, the international standard, is trading at up at $41.18, but virtually unchanged percentage-wise.
Despite making gains the day before, all three major U.S. indexes are trending downward in futures trading Wednesday, indicating a sluggish start for Wall Street hours before the opening bell.
