European shares were mixed this morning as investors waited for the European Central Bank's interest rate decision, due later in the day.
London's FTSE index had gained 54 points (0.6%) to stand at 8,241 by 9am, while the Paris CAC edged a point (0.02%) higher to trade at 7,571 and the Frankfurt DAX had dropped 33 points (0.2%) to hit 18,404.
Dublin's ISEQ index was marginally lower this morning, dipping a point (0.01%) to reach 9,756. Shares in Permanent TSB were down 1.7% to stand at €1.41, while Cairn Homes fell 1.1% to trade at €1.89. But shares in Bank of Ireland were up 1.4% to reach €10.32 while AIB gained 0.6% to hit €5.33.
Earlier in Asian trade, Tokyo's Nikkei index slumped 971 points (2.3%) to close at 40,126, tracking falls in US tech stocks on fears of further economic tensions between the US and China and a fall in the dollar.
The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq tumbled on Wall Street last night as plunging microchip shares, in the face of potential escalation of US trade conflicts with China, exacerbated the ongoing rotation out of megacap tech-related stocks.
The S&P 500 lost 79 points (1.39%) to finish at 5,588, while the Nasdaq Composite index sank 512 points (2.77%) to end at 17,997 but the Dow Jones rose 243 points (0.59%) to close at 41,198.
