BEIJING – Asian stock markets were mixed Thursday after Wall Street retreated from a record high as major banks reported strong profits.
Shanghai, Hong Kong and India declined. Tokyo, Seoul and Sydney advanced. Wall Street's benchmark S&P 500 index closed 0.4% below the previous day's record due to losses for major tech stocks while smaller companies rallied.
Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo announced quarterly earnings that beat forecasts. Much of the surge was due to strong trading revenue and expectations for better economic performance, which allowed banks to free up reserves held against the possibility loans might go bad.