The FTSEurofirst 300 index provisionally closed 0.4% higher at 991.76 points.The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 0.44 percent, to close at 10,099.14. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index fell 0.27 percent, to close at 1,075.51. The Nasdaq Composite Index jumped 0.28 percent, to close at 2,183.53. The Nikkei rose 20.95 points to 10,034.25. The Topix index gained 0.2% to 885.17.

 
Yesterday, the Greek finance minister went on the attack, hitting out at reports of the uncertain dealings between Athens and Wall Street investment banks. As Greece attempts to strike a deal with its EU partners, there have been a series of allegations that suggested it deliberately struck deals that allowed it to spend beyond its means without a requirement for full disclosure. Yesterday, Iceland presented Britain and the Netherlands a new proposal for repaying the £3.2bn+ debt which was lost in Icelandic bank accounts.

Due for release today is the AUD Monetary Policy Meeting Rules, GBP CPI y/y, EUR German ZEW Economic Sentiment, GBP BOE Inflation Letter and USD TIC Long-Term Purchases.

By Greg Secker