On 25 May, 2015 – Peripheral European markets declined in thin trading

US markets were closed for Memorial Day holiday; most major European markets were also shut for public holidays. Asian markets were mixed.
Europe
On a day that saw most European bourses and Wall Street shut for holidays, losses piled up for markets in Spain and Greece after regional elections yielded political upsets in one, and signs of a worsening debt crisis cropped up in another.
Spain’s IBEX 35 index slid over 2% on Monday, while Greece’s Athex Composite Share index tumbled 3%. In light of those regional losses, the FTSE MIB Italy index dropped 2% and the Portugal PSI 20 index fell around 1.8%. The French CAC 40, one of the few other bourses open, fell 0.5%.
Banks in Spain, Greece and Italy, along with France, bore the brunt of losses.
Asia Pacific
Hong Kong stocks climbed advanced 1.4% on Tuesday, while the Shanghai Composite Index SHCOMP rose 1.6% in choppy trading. The index had rallied 3.4% on Monday, hitting a new seven-year high, bolstered by news that China plans to launch a mutual-fund recognition program between Hong Kong and mainland China in July. The program will allow cross-border sales of funds between the two markets. Meanwhile, markets also got a boost from a state media report on Monday, which said that China has developed a plan to reform the national pension fund system, allowing possibly hundreds of billions of dollars from the fund to invest in domestic stock markets. Among market movers in Hong Kong, Chinese broker China Everbright, bourse operator Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing and brokerage firm Haitong Securities advanced. Major Chinese banks also rose sharply, with China Merchants Bank, Bank of China and China Citic Bank Corporation among the gainers.
Japan’s Nikkei Average advanced 0.1% in early trading on Tuesday, though exporters lost ground, with Toyota Motor, Honda Motor and Sony among the decliners.
Among other Asian markets, Australi’s S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.8%, India’s Sensex was down 0.3% and Taipei’s Taiex was up 0.3% in early trading on Tuesday.
Global Stock Market Recap

Please remember, the value of investments and the income from them can do down as well as up. Funds that invest in overseas markets may be subject to currency fluctuations. Investments in small and emerging markets can be more volatile than other overseas markets. Reference in this document to specific securities should not be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell these securities, but is included for the purposes of illustration only.
Looking forward*
Tuesday: US releases durable goods orders, S&P Case Shiller house price index data, new home sales and CB consumer confidence data.
Wednesday: Japan releases minutes from the Bank of Japan’s monetary policy meeting; US releases Market Purchasing Manufacturers’ Index data.
Thursday: UK releases nationwide housing prices and second estimates of quarterly and yearly GDP growth figures for the first quarter; Europe releases economic sentiment data, business confidence data, and industrial sentiment figures; US releases jobless data
Friday: UK releases Gfk consumer confidence data, Japan releases inflation figures, Consumer price index data, industrial production figures and housing starts. China releases first quarter GDP growth figures.
*Note — all releases are listed in local time.