Markets in Asia were modestly higher.

The Nikkei rose .6% to 9,355. Toyota (TM) moved up slightly.

The Hang Send rose .7% to 18,681. HSBC (HBC) was up sharply.

The Shanghai Composite rose .2% to 3,189.

At the open in Europe, the FTSE rose .6% to 4,387. The Dax rose .9% to 5,001 and the CAC 40 was up .7% to 3,222.

Data from Reuters and MarketWatch

Douglas A. McIntyre