S&P/ASX 200 Index
Australian equities closed on the positive note on a quite Tuesday’s trading as Wall Street was closed because of the Hurricane Sandy. The S&P/ASX 200 Index added 0.20% to close at 4,485.70. Nine out of ten sectors included in the index moved higher. The biggest gains posted telecommunications. M2 Telecommunications and Singapore Telecommunications jumped 0.79% and 0.40%. Virgin Australia Holdings was the second best performer after making a takeover of Skywest. Lenders were bullish, with ANZ Banking Group and Commonwealth Bank Australia climbing 0.59% and 0.92%. Meanwhile, mining giants were mixed. Fortescue inched up 1.74% while Rio Tinto dropped 0.11%.
Nikkei 225 Index
Japanese shares tumbled on Tuesday after the BoJ eased its monetary policy by increasing the size of the asset-purchasing programme by JPY138 billion. The move was widely expected. Stronger Yen despite anticipated stimulus measures pushed exporters lower. Weakness in Japanese stocks and an appreciation in the national currency suggested that the markets had priced in the decision of the BoJ ahead the actual announcement. The Nikkei 225 Index plunged 0.98% to close at 8,841.98. All sectors within the index dropped. The worst-performers were financials and basic materials. Shares of Bank of Yokohama, Fukuoka Financial Group and Resona HoldingsGroup sank 0.82%, 1.60% and 2.56%, respectively. Among basic materials, Denki Kagaku Kogyo and Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings slumped 1.22% and 0.65%. Honda sagged 2.75%, extending previous losses after the car producer cut its full-year profit target. Other car makers also retreated. Nissan Motor and Toyota Motor slid 2.54% and 0.50%. Mitsumi Electric was the top-loser, sinking 12.02 on reports of a likely loss in Q3.
Hang Seng Index
Hong Kong equities retreated further on Tuesday after the BoJ announced widely expected stimulus measures. Property developers continued to push Hong Kong blue chips index into the red territory amid concerns over fresh property-price curbing measures. Meanwhile, traders remained cautious ahead of the US consumer confidence data due later in the day. The Hang Seng Index slid 0.38% to end the session at 21,428.58. Only three in nine sectors included in the index advanced. The top-performers were consumer goods and technology firms. Want Want China Holdings gained 4.13% while Tencent added 0.59%. Property developers were mixed, with China Resources Land adding 1.88% and Sino Land slipping 0.29%. On the downside, consumer services and telecommunications were the worst-performers. Sands China and China Unicom Hong Kong dropped 3.32% and 1.91%. Among lenders, ICBC and Bank of Communications tumbled 1.76% and 1.22% ahead of their Q3 reports due after the Tuesday’s close.
FTSE 100 Index
UK stocks moved higher on Tuesday amid positive quarterly reports from the biggest European companies. However, the upside was capped after Spanish PM said the country will apply for a bailout “when it will be in the country’s interests”. Meanwhile, global stock trading remained subdued as US trading was disrupted by Hurricane Sandy. The FTSE 100 Index gained 0.83% to trade at 5,843.39. All but one sector within the index climbed. The best-performers were oil and gas companies as well as basic materials. BP and Petrofac led gains, advancing by 4.35% and 0.65% despite weak crude oil prices. BP reported a 40% increase in profits in Q3. Anglo American, Antofagasta and BHP Billiton surged 0.73%, 1.52% and 1.04%, respectively. Meanwhile, financials rose 0.16%, with Barclays and Lloyds Banking Group adding 1.84% and 0.88%. At the same time, utilities moved lower. National Grid and Severn Trent lost 0.89% and 0.12%.
DAX Index
German shares were bullish on Tuesday on better-than-expected quarterly results of Deutsche Bank. However, persistent uncertainty over whether Spain will apply for a bailout and whether Greece with meet its budget targets restricted an upward trend of German blue chips. The DAX Index surged 1.08% and is currently trading at 7,280.66. Seven out of nine sectors included in the index rose. Financials posted the biggest gains. Deutsche Bank jumped 4.10% after announcing that Q3 profit climbed 3%. Commerzbank also joined the rally, adding 2.20%. At the same time, health care and telecommunications sectors inched down. Fresenius Medical Care AG and Fresenius SE & Co shed 0.58% and 0.03%.
CAC Index
French shares are trading sharply higher on Tuesday after the largest European companies reported upbeat quarterly results. Meanwhile, investors are cautious as US markets remained closed because of Hurricane Sandy. The CAC 40 Index surged 1.36% to trade at 3,455.50. All sectors included in the index jumped. The top-performers were oil and gas producers and basic materials companies. Technip and GDF Suez added 0.67% and 1.15% despite weak crude oil prices. Among basic material producers, Arcelormittal and Solvay climbed 2.26% and 1.57%. Banks also moved higher, with BNP Paribas and Societe Generale gaining 0.90% and 1.52%.
EXPLANATIONS
Indexes
Standard & Poor's 500 Index (S&P 500) or (SPX) - U.S. stock market index consisting of the 500 large-cap shares widely traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ.
Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (INDU) - U.S. stock market index consisting of the 30 large publicly owned U.S. companies , primarily industrials
Hang Seng Index (HI) - Hong Kong’s stock market index consisting of 48 largest companies listed on the Hong Kong Exchange
Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average (Nikkei 225 Index) or (NKY) - Japanese stock market index consisting of the 225 largest companies listed on Tokyo Stock Exchange
FTSE 100 Index (UKX) - U.K. stock market index consisting of the 100 most capitalized U.K. companies trading on the London Stock Exchange
DAX Index (DAX) - German stock market index consisting of the 30 largest and most liquid German companies trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange
Chart
SMA (20) - Simple Moving Average of 20 periods;
SMA (60) - Simple Moving Average of 60 periods.
Correlation - a statistical measure of the linear relationship of two random variables. It is defined as the covariance divided by the standard deviation of two variables.
Indicators
Industry performance - daily performance of industries within the particular stock market index
Top performers - companies within the particular stock market index that showed best or worst daily performance
Performance - relative historical change of stock market index value
