European markets close mixed, US turns negative except for Nasdaq

ANKARA

European stock markets closed mixed on Tuesday, while the US' Dow and S&P turned negative despite a strong opening.

The STOXX Europe 600, which includes around 90% of the market capitalization of the European market in 17 countries, was flat, closing at 467.65.

London's FTSE 100 was the worst performer of the day, losing 34 points, or 0.49%, to 7,034.

While Germany's DAX 30 gained 21 points, or 0.14%, to 15,722, France's CAC 40 was down 24 points, or 0.36%, to end the day at 6,652 points.

Italy's Borsa Italiana FTSE MIB 30 was the best performer in Europe, adding 101 points, or 0.39%, to 26,027.

Spain's IBEX 35 fell 36 points, or 0.41%, to close at 8,780.

Asian stock markets

Asian indices closed mixed on Tuesday for the second day in a row.

The Asia Dow, which includes blue-chip companies in the region, rose 5.5 points, or 0.14%, to close at 4,022 points.

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 stock exchange gained 222 points, or 0.73%, to 30,670.

The Hang Seng, the benchmark for blue-chip stocks trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange, fell 311 points, or 1.2%, to 25,502.

China's Shanghai stock exchange lost the most, down 1.42%, or 52 points, to 3,662.

Major US indices

Major markets in the US opened strong on Tuesday, but the Dow and the S&P later dove to negative territory.

The Dow Jones was down 154 points, or 0.44%, to 34,716 at 12.29 p.m. EDT (1629GMT), while the S&P 500 slid 6 points, or 0.15%, to 4,462.

The Nasdaq, on the other hand, was up 20 points, or 0.13%, to 15,125.

The VIX volatility index, also known as the fear index, was at 19.03, declining 1.8%.

The dollar index dropped 0.2% to 92.48, while the yield on 10-year US Treasury notes fell 2.9% to 1.285%.

Precious metals were positive, with gold adding 0.6% to $1,804 per ounce, and silver rising 0.4% to $23.83.

Oil prices increased, as Brent crude was trading at $73.60 per barrel, up 0.12%, and West Texas Intermediate was at $70.50, up 0.07%.