Global stock markets were mixed Thursday, AP reported. Market benchmarks in Frankfurt, Shanghai and Hong Kong advanced. London opened down less than 0.1%. Japanese markets were closed for a holiday. In early trading, the DAX in Frankfurt rose 0.9% to 15,558.70 and the CAC 40 in Paris was 0.6% higher at 6,504.94. The FTSE 100 in London shed less than 0.1% to 6,995.42. In Asia on Thursday, the Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.3% to 3,574.73 and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong surged 1.8% to 27,723.84. The Kospi in Seoul added 1.1% to 3,250.21 and the S&P-ASX 200 in Sydney rose 1.1% to 7,386.40. India's Sensex advanced 1.2% to 52,793.16. New Zealand and Southeast Asian markets gained. In energy markets, benchmark U.S. crude rose 40 cents to $70.70 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $2.88 on Wednesday to $70.30. Brent crude, used to price international oils, added 33 cents to $72.56 per barrel in London. It advanced $2.88 the previous session to $72.23. The dollar gained to 110.32 from Wednesday's 110.28 yen. The euro declined to $1.1788 from $1.1799.
