Global markets are mostly higher Monday despite bad economic news from Japan. Japan’s Nikkei index dropped 0.8% after a report the country’s economy shrank 7.8% between April and June, the worst second-quarter numbers ever posted by the world’s third-largest economy. Elsewhere in Asia, Australia’s S&P/ASX index also finished 0.8% lower. The KOSPI index in South Korea is down 1.2%, while Taiwan’s TSEC is up 1.2%. In late afternoon trading, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng is up 0.6%, Shanghai’s Composite index is 2.3% higher, and Mumbai’s Sensex is up 0.1%. European markets are off to a strong start, with Britain’s FTSE index, the CAC-40 index in France, and Germany’s DAX index all up 0.3%. In commodities trading, gold is trading at $1,963.20 an ounce, up 0.6%. U.S. crude oil is selling at $42.17 per barrel, up 0.3%, and Brent crude is up $44.89 per barrel, up 0.2%. All three major U.S. indices are trending upward in futures trading.
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