Asian stock markets closed mixed, with Japan's Nikkei down but Hong Kong's Hang Seng index finishing the session higher. European stock markets rallied in the early morning.
Here are five things that matter for markets now:
- Google's (GOOGL) revenue missed expectations as growth in Internet advertising slowed. However, the underlying story is good, with cost per clicks improving and continued growth investment, as Action Alerts Plus points out.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Milan for peace talks with European leaders. He earlier threatened to cut gas supplies to Europe if Ukraine taps into the supplies for its own use.
- Police in Hong Kong cleared protesters at a key site overnight on Friday, storming in with riot gear. Activists said this will cause another wave of protests.
- European car sales grew in September, after hitting their lowest level this year in August. The 6.1% year-on-year increase in registrations was mainly due to discounts by the big carmakers who sought to counter the effects of the slowing economy.
- The Bank of England's chief economist shifted his stance to dovish from neutral, saying he now favors a delay in raising interest rates. Andy Haldane's intervention comes hot on the heels of remarks by James Bullard, the chief of the St. Louis Federal Reserve, that he favors a delay in the end of the Fed's quantitative easing.
At the time of publication, Antonia Oprita had no positions in any of the securities mentioned.