Stocks in Asia and Europe are mixed with crude oil prices in focus
Asian stocks finished the day mixed, with markets in Japan closed for the Mountain Day holiday. South Korea's Kospi added 0.2% after the Bank of Korea's decision to leave interest rates unchanged, citing a steady pace of economic growth in the U.S. and China. Hong Kong's Hang Seng also finished higher, adding 0.4% for the day, thanks to reports that the Shenzhen-Hong Kong exchange trading link could begin soon.
China's Shanghai Composite, meanwhile, gave back 0.5% with the yuan strengthening against the dollar as traders
await a round of economic reports on Friday. Lower crude oil also weighed on stocks, as Wednesday's U.S. crude inventories report showed
a surprise uptick in stockpiles, sending the commodity sliding.
Oil prices are in focus in Europe, as well, sending energy stocks lower. In London, the FTSE 100 is off 0.3% so far today, with homebuilder stocks among the biggest losers following a downbeat report on housing prices out of the U.K. Elsewhere in the region, stocks have been able to shake off crude's slump, with France's CAC 40 last seen 0.6% higher, while Germany's DAX has added 0.4%.
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