European markets were higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index climbed 1.1%, London’s FTSE 100 gained 1.2% while Spain’s IBEX 35 Index rose 1.1%. The French CAC 40 Index jumped 1.8%, while German DAX climbed 1.6%. The S&P Global Eurozone’s construction PMI slipped to 50.4 in April from March’s reading of 52.8. The S&P Global/CIPS UK services PMI was revised higher to 58.9 in April from a preliminary reading of 58.3, while new car registrations in the country dipped 15.8% year-over-year to 119,167 units in April. The S&P Global German construction PMI declined to 46 in April from 50.9 in March, while French construction PMI climbed to 50.7 in April from 48.4.

Asian markets traded mostly higher today. China’s Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.68%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 0.36%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.8% and India’s S&P BSE Sensex climbed 0.8%. The S&P Global Indian services PMI rose to 57.9 in April from 53.6 in the previous month, while Chinese general services PMI fell to 36.3 in April from 42.0 in March. Australia's trade surplus widened to AUD 9.31 billion in March 2022 from a revised AUD 7.43 billion in the prior month. The S&P Global Hong Kong PMI climbed to 51.7 in April from 42.0 in the previous month. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority raised the base rate by 50 basis points.

• eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) reported upbeat results for its first quarter, but issued weak forecast for the current quarter.
• Alphabet Inc-owned (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google's India arm has hired Archana Gulati, who previously worked for the central government think-tank Niti Aayog, as its new public policy head, according to a Reuters source.
• Etsy, Inc. (NASDAQ:ETSY) reported better-than-expected results for its first quarter, but issued weak sales forecast for the current quarter.
• Identiv, Inc. (NASDAQ:INVE) reported better-than-expected Q1 results and issued FY22 sales guidance above analyst estimates.