Equities
Most Asian markets ended moderately lower on Monday. The Nikkei slid .5% to 9720, thanks to a downgrade of Japanese automakers by Citigroup. Nissan, Toyota and Honda all fell more than 2%. The Hang Seng lost .4%, and the Kospi eased .2%. Australia’s ASX 200 was a notable exception, rallying .6% as shares in mining giant BHP Billiton jumped 3.8%. Chinese trade data showed a trade deficit thanks to commodity imports, fueling investor demand for miners.
European markets also ended lower. The Dax fell .2%, and the CAC40 slumped .6%. Hochtief, a construction service company tumbled 9.5% after cutting its outlook. The FTSE closed down fractionally, as gains in miners largely offset other losses.
US markets ended mixed, as the market shed early gains. The Dow closed flat after rising 64 points earlier, while the Nasdaq and S&P both dropped .3%.
Oil companies fell steeply as the price of US crude dropped 3%. Denbury Resources fell 5% and Anadarko Petroleum slumped 4.3%.
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