Global stocks were mixed in thin trading Thursday after the latest decline in oil prices pulled Wall Street lower. Markets in Germany, Japan and South Korea were closed for the New Year holiday.
Keeping score: In early trading, France's CAC-40 shed 0.4 percent to 4,656.27 and Britain's FTSE 100 was down 0.2 percent at 6,259.16. On Wednesday, Germany's DAX fell 1.1 percent and the CAC-40 lost 0.5 percent. The FTSE slipped 0.6 percent. On Wall Street, the future for the Dow Jones industrial average gained 0.05 percent and the Standard & Poor's 500 was up 0.06 percent. On Wednesday, both lost 0.7 percent and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.8 percent.
Asia's day: The Shanghai Composite Index retreated 0.9 percent to 3,539.18 points while Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.15 percent to 21,914.40. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.5 percent to 5,295.90 and India's Sensex gained 0.1 percent to 25,980.85. Benchmarks in New Zealand and Thailand also advanced. Singapore declined.
Analyst's take: "On the eve of the new year, the fact is that lingering and familiar risks are not purged at the stroke of midnight," Mizuho Bank said in a report. It cited fluctuating oil prices and uncertainty about the impact of monetary policy changes in the United States, Europe and Japan. "Instead the risk landscape is a continuum that warrants caution."
Energy: Benchmark US crude gained 15 cents to $36.75 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract plunged $1.27 on Wednesday to close at $36.60. Brent crude, used to price international oils, added 13 cents to $36.59 in London. It slid $1.33 in the previous session to $36.46.
Currency: The dollar declined to 120.37 yen from Wednesday's 120.49. The euro fell to $1.0919 from $1.0936.
