Financial stocks fell on Friday on slipping consumer sentiment, led by losses at large regional banks Keycorp and Regions which were hurt by downgrades.
U.S. stocks fell on Friday for the second day this week, after reports showed consumer confidence plunged to a 28-year low while crude oil soar to another record high,
Technology shares gained ground on Thursday after Carl Icahn proposed to change the board of Internet giant Yahoo, saying the firm had completely botched negotiations with Microsoft.
U.S. stocks advanced for a second day, after analysts said chipmakers will benefit from rising global demand and energy shares are cheap relative to crude prices.
The FTSE 100 share index rose marginally on Wednesday. The index finished the day rising 4.1 points to 6,216.0 (up 0.1 per cent).
Technology stocks advanced on Wednesday but lost earlier gains after a late session sell-off.
Shanghai Stock Exchange composite Index (SSE) gained 97.2 points, or 2.7 percent, to reach 3,657.4 on Wednesday. Shenzhen Stock Exchange component index gained 29.2 points, or 2.63 percent, to reach 1,139.1 percent.
The FTSE 100 share index was up early on Wednesday. By 9:06am the index had risen 8.9 points to 6,220.7 (up 0.1 per cent).
Technology stocks rose slightly on Tuesday on as Hewlett-Packard shares sank after announcing it would acquire EDS and a report that activist investor Car Icahn is mulling a proxy fight for making changes to the board of directors at Yahoo.
U.S. stocks fell at Tuesday's start, after the government said soaring fuel prices did not hinder consumers from shopping as much as expected and Oppenheimer & Co.'s Meredith Whitney cut profit projections for Wall Street's biggest securities firms.
U.S. stocks rose the most in a week on Monday, in anticipation of better-than-estimated earnings while oil retreated from record highs, and a late afternoon report that Hewlett-Packard Co. is near a deal to buy Electronic Data Systems Corp. for as much as $13 billion.
Shares if Chinese stocks listed in the U.S. fell on Monday after an earthquake in central China killed nearly 9,000 people.
Technology stocks were mixed on Friday as a pair of video game related firms posted strong gains.
The FTSE 100 share index fell early on Friday. At 8:40am the index at fallen 38.1 points to 6,232.7 (down 0.6 per cent).
U.S. stocks fell on Friday, pushing the market to its first weekly drop in a month, as oil soared past $126 a barrel and metal producers retreated on concern the surge in commodity prices will end.
The FTSE 100 share index rose on Thursday following news that the Bank of England decided to keep interest rates at 5.0 per cent. The index was up 9.8 points to 6,270.8 by the end of the day (up 0.2 per cent).
Technology stocks rose on Thursday the day after AMD said it was on track with profitability goals.
Japan stocks declined Thursday as investors sold issues which gained recently for profit-taking. Also strong yen led investors sell export-oriented issues such as Toyota and Honda.
China's stocks rose the most in a week, led by energy companies and China Unicom, which will benefit from the coming restructuring of the telecom industry.
U.S. stocks rose on Thursday in the wake of higher gold prices and sales from retailers and media companies were higher than expected.
U.S stocks fell on Wednesday for the second day this week after reports showed home sales fell in March and oil prices remained in higher territory.
Tokyo stocks closed higher Wednesday as optimism over the U.S. economic outlook and the U.S. dollar's strength against the yen during a four-day holiday in Japan spurred buying.
Sensex, the prime index of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) continued its downslide on Tuesday, declining 0.67 percent on profit booking as investors continued to remain wary of global market developments.
The FTSE 100 share index dropped marginally by 0.3 points to 6,215.2, on Tuesday.
U.S. stocks shifted higher on Tuesday, reversing earlier losses and pushing the Standard & Poor's 500 Index to a four-month high, after Fannie Mae calmed investors about its financial situation and oil companies rallied on record crude prices.
Both China's Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets opened higher on Monday morning, boosted by Fed's cut of interest rates and China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) Chairman Shang Fulin's requirement that institutions to maintain stability.
U.S. stocks fell as Yahoo dropped the most in almost two years after Microsoft Corp. abandoned its $50 billion bid for the company and Countrywide Financial Corp. tumbled on concern its suitor will abandon its pending takeover.
China 's stock market watchdog said on Sunday it had allowed local fund management companies to set up branches in Hong Kong, which will help national fund firms become more familiar with international financial rules.
Technology sector stocks fell on Friday despite a strong gain from Yahoo as shares of Sun Microsystems and Netsuite sank.
Demand for U.S. Treasury notes fell on Friday after an unexpectedly small decline in jobs reduced concern over a deep and prolonged recession, cutting demand for U.S. debt.
