BANGKOK (AP) - Asian stock markets were mixed today following a slew of bleak U.S. corporate results, but losses were cushioned by a report suggesting China's manufacturing slump may be bottoming out.

HSBC Corp. said its monthly purchasing managers' index rose to 49.1 points in October from 47.9 points on a 100-point scale on which numbers below 50 indicate a contraction. The result means that China's manufacturing shrank again, but at a slower rate than the previous month.

Benchmark crude oil rose above $86 per barrel. The dollar fell against the euro and the yen.

 

 

 

 

 

First Coast News