Markets in Asia were slightly higher

The Nikkei rose .6% to 9,871. Mitsubishi UFJ NYSE:MTU) rose.

The Hang Seng was up .3% to 22,269.

The Shanghai Composite rose .1% to 3,178.

At the open in Europe, the FTSE rose .2% to 5,246. Vodafone (NYSE:VOD) and HSBC (NYSE:HBC) both reported earnings. The Dax was up .1% to 5,626. The CAC 40 rose a fraction to 3,785.

Data from Reuters and MarketWatch

Douglas A. McIntyre