Global markets showed a mixed performance on Wednesday, with U.S. stocks maintaining near record levels in a relatively quiet trading session. In early trading, France's CAC 40 edged 0.1% higher, Germany's DAX rose 0.2%, while Britain's FTSE 100 declined 0.2%. Futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were down 0.3%.
Asian markets saw Japan's Nikkei 225 slipping 0.1%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng and Shanghai Composite both experienced declines of 1.5% and 1.9% respectively. The market sentiment was impacted by news of China's Country Garden facing a liquidation petition due to failure in repaying a term loan facility.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 remained stable after the country's inflation rate held at a two-year low, raising expectations of a potential interest rate cut by the Reserve Bank. South Korea's Kospi gained 1%, while Thailand's SET was down 0.8%.
In the U.S., the S&P 500 closed just below its all-time high, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipping slightly and the Nasdaq composite rising. Despite weaker-than-expected orders for long-lasting manufactured goods and a slip in consumer confidence, the solid U.S. economy continues to support hopes for profit growth.
In the commodities market, U.S. benchmark crude oil lost 90 cents per barrel, while Brent crude shed 92 cents. The U.S. dollar strengthened against the Japanese yen and the euro.
