Global stock markets are steady on Thursday as the decline in China's currency slowed and the country's central bank eased fears of more steep drops, AP reported. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was down six points, or 0.3 percent, at 2,080 as of 10:06 a.m. Eastern time. The Dow Jones industrial average gave up 41 points, or 0.2 percent, to 17,363, and the Nasdaq composite fell four points, less than 0.1 percent, to 5,040. Major Asian benchmarks finished higher after a two-day slump. Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 1 percent, and South Korea's Kospi gained 0.4 percent. In China, Shanghai Composite Index on the mainland added 1.8 percent. In Europe, Germany's DAX climbed 1 percent and France's CAC-40 surged 1.4 percent The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was flat. U.S. government bonds sank, pushing the yield on the 10-year Treasury note up to 2.16 percent from 2.15 percent late Wednesday. Benchmark U.S. crude fell 99 cents to $42.30 on the New York Mercantile Exchange, hovering close to a six-year low. Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell 57 cents to $49.61 in London.
