Markets in Asia were mixed.

The Nikkei rose 1.8% to 9,956.

The Hang Seng was up .3% to 18,588.

The Shanghai Composite fell .5% to 2,959.

At the open in Europe, The FTSE was up .3% to 4,306 with BHP Billiton (BHP) much higher. The Dax traded up .1% to 4,890. The CAC 40 was higher by .2% to 3,200.

Data from Reuters and MarketWatch

Douglas A. McIntyre