Markets in Asia rose modestly.

The Hang Seng rose 1.9% to 20,291.

The Shanghai Composite was up .1% to 2,986.

At the open in Europe, the FTSE was up .6% to 5,165. Rio Tinto (NYSE:RTP) posted strong numbers. The Dax rose .4% to 5,557. The CAC 40 was up .5% to 3,655. Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE:ALU) had a profit in the last quarter.

Data from Reuters and MarketWatch.

Douglas A. McIntyre