Commentary

The markets in the United States moved largely higher this week, amid mixed economic data and ongoing earnings reports from key sectors. While the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Russell 2000 Index jumped well over a point, the Nasdaq fell nearly a half point on the week thanks to Apple Inc.’s (Nasdaq:AAPL) earnings report that failed to impress analysts and investors.

International markets followed U.S. markets higher for the most part. In Europe, Germany’s DAX jumped a little over a half point, while the United Kingdom’s FTSE saw a rise of over 1.5%. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei fell about a point after experiencing a dramatic rise last week, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell about a quarter of point amid prospects of a protracted Chinese slowdown.