US markets

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dallied around the 12000 mark in late trading on Thursday, as mixed economic data and corporate earnings left the market struggling to find direction. The Dow was up 8 points, or 0.1%, at 11993. The measure stopped just short of closing above 12000 Wednesday and hasn't finished above that level since June 19, 2008. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 0.6% to 2757. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index flickered over 1300, but was recently at 1299, up 0.2%. The last time the S&P 500 closed above 1300 was on Aug. 28, 2008. Orders for goods expected to last at least three years fell and a reading of manufacturing activity in the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's district slowed sharply in January.

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Earnings from a batch of bellwether consumer companies and a pair of drug makers got a mixed reaction in the market. Consumer giant Procter & Gamble sank 3.9% after its fiscal second-quarter profit slid 28% from a year-earlier period that included a large gain from discontinued operations, as profit margins were narrowed by rising commodity costs. Colgate-Palmolive shed 2.7% after its fourth-quarter earnings fell 1.1% on lower-than-expected revenue, as higher materials costs hit margins. The company also forecast fiscal third-quarter earnings of 95 cents to $1 a share. Analysts projected 99 cents. Heavy-machinery maker Caterpillar rose 1% after the company's fourth-quarter earnings soared, beating analysts' estimates as demand recovered from slumping levels a year earlier. The reaction to Caterpillar's earnings may have been dented as the durable goods reading cut into investors' enthusiasm for industrial stocks Thursday.

European markets

European shares edged higher Thursday as miners and some financial stocks gained ground, though retailers fell after disappointing results from Swedish fashion chain Hennes & Mauritz. The Stoxx Europe 600 index advanced 0.2% to 282.88. Losses for bank stocks had initially pulled the index lower after Standard & Poor's cut Japan's long-term sovereign-debt rating by one notch to AA- from AA. But the sector swiftly recovered as the focus swung back to the Federal Reserve's decision to continue its $600 billion Treasury-buying program. Also aiding sentiment was news that the European Commission's measure of confidence among manufacturers rose to 6.0 from 4.9, driven by rising orders, particularly for exports. Economists had forecast a rise to 5.0. Among bank stocks, shares in Societe Generale rose 3.1%. UniCredit gained 2.4% and Banco Santander rose 3.4%.

Among companies reporting earnings Thursday, shares in U.K. drug maker AstraZeneca rose as much as 2.3% before turning lower to close down 1%. The company topped earnings expectations and roughly doubled its 2011 share buyback target to $4 billion from $2.1 billion in 2010. The U.K. FTSE 100 index ended a volatile session down 0.1% at 5965.08 as stronger commodity prices helped extend gains for mining stocks. Randgold Resources Ltd. was one of the biggest climbers, adding 1.5% after HSBC assigned an "overweight" rating to the stock. Kazakhmys rose 0.5%. The mining company plans to raise $500 million to $600 million through a secondary listing in Hong Kong in the first half of this year, two people familiar with the situation said Wednesday. The results weighed on other retail stocks, with Inditex down 2.2% and Next falling 2.7%.

Asian markets

Most Asian markets ended higher Thursday, with Tokyo stocks getting a boost from a bullish earnings view and a slightly weaker yen, but declines in Chinese property developers weighed on shares in China and Hong Kong. Japan's Nikkei Stock Average rose 0.7% and South Korea's Kospi index added 0.2%. The Shanghai Composite advanced 1.5%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 0.3%. Regional sentiment was partly underpinned by mild gains on Wall Street and the U.S. Federal Reserve's decision to continue with its controversial $600 billion bond purchase plan to support the economy. Shares in Tokyo rallied, led by heavily weighted industrial and technology shares, after Fanuc reported bullish earnings, while hopes for more good results from other major exporters, such as Canon, also helped support the broader market.

Heavily weighted factory automation systems maker Fanuc rose 4.6% after the company reported during market hours its group net profit for the third quarter more than doubled from a year earlier due to strong China demand. The news that ratings agency Standard & Poor's had cut Japan's long-term sovereign-credit rating to AA- from AA came after the market close. S&P said it expects Japan's fiscal deficits to remain high in the next few years, "which will further reduce the government's already weak fiscal flexibility." Shares in China finished higher, led by resources stocks after commodity prices rose Wednesday, but gains were offset by declines in property plays. On the mainland, Jiangxi Copper ended up 3.8% after falling 4.8% over the previous week, while the company's Hong Kong listed shares added 3.1% after shedding 7.1% over the past five sessions.

Base metals

Base metals closed mostly higher on the London Metal Exchange Thursday, following a day of healthy rallies across almost the entire complex. Copper recovered most of the ground lost in its most recent dip, trading at $9,440 a metric ton, up 1.2% on the day, at the PM kerb close. A weaker U.S. dollar on the back of talk of further bond buying by the U.S. Federal Reserve provided a tailwind for the dollar-denominated complex. Comments by the Federal Reserve suggesting the U.S. economic recovery is on track also boosted hopes for stronger demand for base metals, which are used widely in construction. Tin continued its recent rally, hitting fresh highs as it pushed hard against the $30,000/ton mark. While tin closed at $29,075/ton, up 1.6% on the day, it peaked at $29,300/ton earlier in the day.

Oil futures

Oil futures turned lower Thursday following weaker than expected readings on the U.S. economy, while the gap between the two most widely used oil benchmarks soared to a new record. Light, sweet crude for March delivery fell $1.69 to $85.64 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Crude's decline Thursday reverses Wednesday's gains, which had bucked a six-session losing streak for oil. Gold futures slumped to their lowest point in nearly four months as disappointing economic data weren't enough to arrest the metal's ongoing slide. The most-actively traded gold contract, for February delivery, fell $14.60, or 1.1%, to settle at $1,318.40 a troy ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Thinly traded nearby January futures also dipped $14.60 to $1,318.40, the metal's weakest finish since Oct. 4.