Global stocks are mostly lower as traders digest Thursday's ECB decision, along with another nuclear test out of North Korea
It was a mixed finish for stocks in Asia, as crude oil retreated following Thursday's U.S. crude inventories report, which showed the largest weekly decline since 1999. South Korea's Kospi gave up 1.3%, after North Korea launched a successful fifth test of a nuclear warhead, and amid concerns over exploding batteries in Samsung's Galaxy Note 7. China's Shanghai Composite also closed lower, shedding 0.6% after August inflation showed its slowest pace of year-over-year growth since last October.
Elsewhere in the region, Japan's Nikkei erased early losses to finish essentially flat. And Hong Kong's Hang Seng bucked the downbeat trend, too, adding 0.8% on reports that mainland insurers may be included in the highly anticipated Shanghai-Hong Kong stock connect.
Traders in Europe are reacting to
Thursday's European Central Bank (ECB) decision. Additionally, in a press conference following the meeting, ECB President Mario Draghi noted that
extending the asset purchase plan was not even discussed. This disappointment, along with lower oil prices and concerns sparked by North Korea has major indexes across the region covered in red at midday. Specifically, London's FTSE 100 is down 0.4%, Germany's DAX has shed 0.5%, and France's CAC 40 is 0.6% lower. .
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