Equities
Asian markets ended mixed following Wednesday's sharp slide on Wall Street. The Nikkei returned from a holiday, dropping 1.8% to 8165, its lowest close since early 2009. Korea's Kospi gained .7%, shaking off opening weakness, while the ASX 200 eased .2%. The Hang Seng rose .4% and the Shanghai Composite inched up .1% amid rumors of monetary easing in China.
Nikkei Falls Below March's Quake Low
In Europe, the major indexes closed lower, surrendering early gains. The DAX fell .5%, the FTSE slipped .2%, and the CAC40 ended flat, following remarks by German Chancellor Merkel which reiterated her opposition to changes in the ECB.
US stock and bonds markets were closed for Thanksgiving.
Treasuries and Commodities
German bond price continued to fall on Thursday, with 10-year notes down .415 to yield 2.19%, and 30-year notes down 1.19 to yield 2.8%.
Crude oil rose .86 to 97.03 in light trading, while natural gas slipped .5%.
Gold closed flat at 1695.50, while silver edged lower .1% to 31.845.
Currencies
The currency market experience very narrow trading ranges thanks to the closure of US banks. The Euro, Swiss Franc and Canadian Dollar all ended within a few pips of their opening prices. The Pound slipped .2% to 1.5494, while the Australian Dollar gained .4% to .9726.
Economic Outlook
US markets close early on Friday, and volume is expected to be light.
No major reports are due on Friday.