Strong earnings reports have European markets in the black
A strengthening U.S. dollar put pressure on stocks in Asia, though Hong Kong's Hang Seng outperformed. Specifically, the index grabbed a 1% win, storming past China's Shanghai Composite, which fell 0.3%. Japan's Nikkei also lost 0.3%, with Nintendo's
"Pokemon Go" rally finally losing steam on news the game's Japanese release was delayed. In South Korea, meanwhile, the Kospi edged 0.1% lower.
On the other hand, stocks in Europe are moving higher, thanks to a strong round of earnings. Tech firm SAP, for example, is rallying on better-than-expected quarterly results, while automaker Volkswagen is roughly 6% higher, after talking up its operating performance for the first half of the year. Mining stocks, in contrast,
underperformed once again.
Meanwhile, unemployment in the U.K. fell to 4.9% from March to May, the lowest reading in over a decade. Wages also increased for the period. This all comes ahead of the European Central Bank's (ECB) policy-setting meeting on Thursday. Germany's DAX was leading the way at last check, up 1.2%, with France's CAC 40 up 0.8%, and London's FTSE 100 just above breakeven.
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