(Gold is the August contract on the NY Mercantile Exchange. Silver, copper and oil are the September contracts.)

NEW YORK - Wall Street ended modestly lower on Wednesday as the market consolidated recent gains, largely shrugging off a plunge in Chinese shares and weaker-than-expected data from the US factory sector.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 26 points, 0.29 per cent, to 9070.72.
The Nasdaq composite dipped 7.75 points, 0.39 per cent, to 1967.76 and the broad-market Standard & Poor’s 500 drifted down 4.47 points, or 0.46 per cent, to a close of 975.15.

LONDON - European stock markets, resisting a slide on Wall Street, advanced, drawing strength from corporate earnings results.
The London FTSE 100 index gained 18.69, or 0.41 per cent, to close at 4547.53 points.

FRANKFURT - Pharmaceutical group Bayer surged 5.44 per cent to 42.23 euros after reporting results that beat expectations.
Despite a third consecutive quarterly loss auto maker Daimler added 4.55 per cent to close at 31.46 euros. The company foresaw an improvement in its operating results by the end of the year.
Lufthansa edged up 0.21 per cent, having released some of its results just ahead of the market close. The airline reported a 15.7 per cent slide in first half sales.
The Dax rose 95.58 points, or 1.85 per cent, to 5270.32.

PARIS - In Paris, earnings reports drove the market. The CAC 40 index lifted 34.65 points, or 1.04 per cent, to 3365.62 points.

TOKYO - Japan’s Nikkei stock average edged up 0.3 per cent to a seven-week closing high, buoyed by high-tech shares such as Tokyo Electron, but gains were capped ahead of key company earnings.
Nippon Steel fell 3.5 per cent after the company said it swung to a quarterly loss, widened its first-half loss forecast by 10 per cent, and said it would not pay a first half dividend.
But trade was thin and investors were hesitant after a nine-day rising streak was broken on Tuesday — the longest such run in 21 years — and ahead of a slew of Japanese earnings this week.
The benchmark Nikkei-225 index edged up 25.98 points, or 0.26 per cent, to 10,113.24.

HONG KONG - Hong Kong shares closed 2.37 per cent lower on Wednesday as China counters tumbled after a slump on the Shanghai bourse.
The benchmark Hang Seng Index ended down 489.04 points at 20,135.50.

WELLINGTON - After rising for the previous 11 trading days, the NZ sharemarket took a breather on Wednesday, in line with trends in foreign markets. Brokers said it was a mixed market with selected stocks still attracting buyers.
The NZSX-50 index closed down 28.01 points, or 0.93 per cent, at 2990.47. Turnover was worth $NZ61.95 million ($A49.39 million). There were 37 rises and 40 falls among the 108 stocks traded.
From below 2740 points in mid-July, the benchmark NZSX-50 index reached 3018.5 on Wednesday, its highest level since last October.

SYDNEY - The Australian sharemarket is expected to open flat to low on Thursday after US stocks finished in negative territory and commodity prices dropped overnight.
At 0710 AEST on the Sydney Futures Exchange, the September share price index contract was three points higher at 4100.
In economic news, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) releases building approvals data for June.
In equities news, Lihir Gold releases its second quarter production report, Elders Rural Bank posts annual results, and Austar United Communications issues first half results.
Heartware International Inc will hold its annual general meeting.
Future Fund chairman David Murray will address the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia on “The Frameworks and Focus for the Future Fund and Nation-Building Funds”, in Sydney.
On Wednesday, the Australian share market snapped a 11 trading day bull run, closing down more than half a per cent amid profit-taking in the resources sector.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index closed down 26.7 points, or 0.64 per cent, at 4142.8 points, while the broader All Ordinaries index lost 25.1 points, or 0.6 per cent, to 4148.9 points.

NYMEX

Oil prices tumbled after news of swelling US inventories revived market worries about weak demand in the world’s largest energy consumer.
New York’s main contract, light sweet crude for September, dropped $US3.88, or nearly six per cent, to close at $US63.35.
In London, Brent North Sea crude for September delivery shed $US3.35 to settle at $US66.53 a barrel.

COMEX

Gold for August delivery dropped $US11.90 to $US927.20 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
September silver fell 48.2 cents to $US13.258 an ounce.
September copper decreased 4.3 cents to $US2.4775 a pound.