Mainland Chinese stocks posted strong gains after two separate surveys showed an improvement in manufacturing activity Thursday, although regional technology shares were checked by a plunge in Panasonic Corp. shares. China’s Shanghai Composite index  soared 1.8% after an official gauge of manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index rose to 50.2 in October from 49.8 in September. A competing final survey from HSBC showed its own PMI reading rose to 49.5 in October, an 8-month high for the data series. Read more about the manufacturing survey findings. The improvement implied “China’s industrial activity continues to bottom out following a modest pickup last month. This is driven by the increase of new orders, thanks to the filtering through of the earlier easing measures, while exports outlook remains challenging,” said Hongbin Qu, HSBC’s chief economist for China. The data also helped support some other benchmarks, with the Hang Seng Index up 0.6%, while Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average  rose 0.3%. Elsewhere, South Korea’s Kospi  dropped 0.5%, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index declined 1.1%. More»

European stock markets moved higher in early action on Wednesday, with oil firms in the lead after a well-received earnings report from Total SA . Investors were also waiting for hints from the U.S. when markets reopen later in the day after a two-day closure on the back of what had been Hurricane Sandy. The Stoxx Europe 600 index added 0.4% to 272.77, with Total up 1.7%. Among U.K. oil firms, Royal Dutch Shell PLC gained 0.7% and BP PLC picked up 0.9%. The FTSE 100 index traded 0.3% higher at 5,865.55. Steel maker ArcelorMittal SA dropped 2.5% in Paris after cutting its dividends. The CAC 40 index rose 0.6% to 3,481.09. Germany’s DAX 30 index gained 0.7% to 7,331.48. More»

Most Asian markets ended higher Wednesday, with strong earnings from some major regional corporations pulling in buyers while investors awaited U.S. markets to reopen for the first time after super storm Sandy. Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average  led the region’s major markets, rebounding from the previous day’s loss to finish 1% higher, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index  also climbed 1%. South Korea’s Kospi  rose 0.7%, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index  gained 0.7% and China’s Shanghai Composite Index  advanced 0.3%, while Taiwan’s Taiex  declined 0.2%. U.S. markets were set to reopen for the first time this week after storm system Sandy brought widespread flooding and power outages to New York City. Read: Officials struggle to assess Sandy’s damage. “U.S. residents and businesses face billions of dollars of losses in the wake of Hurricane Sandy,” said Matthew Sherwood, head of investment market research at Perpetual Investments. More»

Asian stocks saw earlier gains fade Monday, with several key markets swinging to losses as investors gauged a slew of earnings, as well as new Hong Kong property taxes and a hurricane forcing the closure of U.S. markets. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index  slipped 0.2% as property firms tumbled following the introduction of a special tax on housing purchases by offshore and corporate buyers, along with other measures to tamp down on prices. On the Chinese mainland, the Shanghai Composite Index  traded down 0.1%. Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average  moved back from gains to trade down 0.1%, while South Korea’s Kospi  edged up 0.1%, and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index .rose 0.4%. U.S. shares ended Friday’s session little changed but recorded weekly losses, as downbeat earnings offset some more positive news on the U.S. economy. Read story: U.S. Q3 economic growth improves “For the moment, the main focus is extreme weather conditions due to Hurricane Sandy in the U.S.,” said Kintai Cheung, strategist at Credit Agricole. Read: NYSE, Nymex to close trading floors on Monday. More»

Most U.S. stocks retreated, driving the Standard & Poor's 500 Index to a weekly decline, as investors watched economic and corporate earnings reports.Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., the largest U.S. tiremaker, dropped 10 percent after reporting a profit that was below estimates. VeriSign Inc. (VRSN), an operator of Web domain name registries, tumbled 15 percent after saying regulators have delayed a review of the company’s contract for that business. Expedia Inc. surged 15 percent as the online travel agency reported third-quarter earnings that topped analysts’ estimates. Eight stocks declined for every five that advanced on U.S. exchanges at 4 p.m. New York time. The S&P 500 decreased 0.1 percent to 1,411.94 as the benchmark measure extended its weekly decline to 1.5 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 3.53 points, or less than 0.1 percent, to 13,107.21. Volume for exchange-listed stocks in the U.S. was about 5.8 billion shares, or 2.3 percent below the three-month average. “You’re getting a mix of data that don’t have a clear direction,” said Stephen Wood, the New York-based chief market strategist for North America for Russell Investments, which oversees $152 billion. “It’s important for investors’ psychology to see GDP data beating estimates. Yet the earnings season has been a very challenging one.” More»

European stock markets opened flat to lower on Thursday, as investors mulled the prior-day statement from the Federal Reserve, which said it will stick to its loose monetary policy. Investors were wading through a deluge of earnings, with the Stoxx Europe 600 index flat at 269.40. Share of BASF SE rose nearly 2% after the chemical group reported results, while Daimler AG fell nearly 3% after the automaker cut its full-year forecast. France Telecom SA fell 2.7% after the telecom group projected a tough 2013. Unilever PLC rose 2.8% after the consumer goods group posted higher sales. The FTSE 100 index rose 0.1% to 5,813.29, the German DAX 30 index was flat at 7,198.40 and the French CAC 40 index was up 0.2% to 3,433.81. More»

Asia stocks on Tuesday traded mostly flat to lower as dividend worries dented Japanese utility firms while steel makers weighed in Seoul.Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average  put in a flat performance, while South Korea’s Kospi  declined 0.4% and the Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.7%.Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index  managed to gain 0.1% and Hong Kong markets were closed for a holiday.Most Asian markets have gained so far this month, and those gains have been made against emerging Asian economies that “are not really booming but [are] still quite robust,” said Lucinda Chan. division director at Macquarie Private Wealth.In addition, U.S. earnings numbers out in the past few weeks “have been quite reasonable,” she said, while the U.S. economy has shown some signs of improvement.Tuesday’s moves in Asia came after U.S. stock markets on Monday recouped early losses to end the session higher, with earnings helping drive the day’s action. Read: Yahoo up on results, hint of stock buyback More»

European stock markets struggled in early trade on Tuesday, with some support coming from a late-session turnaround for Wall Street overnight. The Stoxx Europe 600 index was flat at 272.81, dragged by a nearly 1% drop for Sanofi SA . Shares of Michelin rose over 4% after the tire maker confirmed its full-year targets as sales rose, according to media reports. Experian PLC rose 3.4% after it announced a deal to buy a further stake in a Brazil credit bureau. The German DAX 30 index was flat at 7,327.54, the French CAC 40 index was flat at 3,482.18 and the FTSE 100 index was flat at 5,878.24 More»

European stock markets traded lower early Monday, with oil stocks leading south. Industrial conglomerates, such as Philips Electronics NV rose 3.3% after posting third-quarter results. The Stoxx Europe 600 index fell 0.2% to 273.45, while the German DAX 30 index eased 0.2% to 7,365.96. The French CAC 40 index fell 0.3% to 3,494.94 and the FTSE 100 index fell 0.3% to 5,880.73. More»

Hong Kong and Tokyo managed to shrug off early losses to trade higher on Monday, though other Asia-listed stocks saw selling pressure. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index  rose 0.4%, while Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average  edged up 0.1%. On the downside, however, Australia’s S&/ASX 200 index  declined 0.7%, South Korea’s Kospi  lost 0.2%, and the Shanghai Composite Index  slipped 0.5%. U.S. stocks skidded at the end of last week, pressured by data and some poorly received earnings from some of the country’s best-known companies.Read: U.S. stocks slammed on worst day since June. Over the past few weeks, global share markets have been consolidating in the wake of strong gains made since June, said Shane Oliver, head of investment at AMP Capital “Given uncertainties regarding the global outlook, this may have a bit further to run,” he said of recent Asian market weakness. Still, he believes that share markets are likely to resume broad gains due to recent supportive policy measures from global central banks. More»