Chinese Markets Down 1%, Japanese and European Markets Trade Sideways

stock market numbers

Chinese shares fell 1% in overnight trading as Japanese and Indian markets were flat with rise 0.3% each.

European markets remain flat as investors wait for Mario Draghi speech this afternoon on EU Central bank policy.

Highlights from Europe for today include:

  • The Bank of England left its benchmark lending rate at 0.5%.
  • German factory orders unexpectedly fall 1.9% in January despite economist estimates of a rise of 0.5%.
  • Not much good news for the French either as unemployment rose to a 13-year record of 10.6% in Q4.