By Anna Prior
International companies trading in New York ended mixed Friday
amid diverse economic data reports from the U.S. and Europe.
The Bank of New York index of ADRs was essentially flat at
150.23.
In the U.S., factory-goods orders rose more than expected, while
in Europe, disappointing German sentiment data were offset by signs
that the U.K. economy continued to improve.
The European index edged up 0.2% to 145.98.
Shares of several big-name U.K. companies ended higher,
including the Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC (RBS, RBS.LN), which
rose 3.1% to $11.94 and AstraZeneca PLC (AZN, AZN.LN), which
climbed 1.5% to $52.74.
The Asian index fell 0.7% to 149.47.
Chinese solar stocks added to declines, with Yingli Green Energy
Holding Co. (YGE) dropping 12% to $6.56, Hanwha SolarOne Co. (HSOL)
down 12% to $4.40, JinkoSolar Holding Co. (JKS) falling 9.4% to
$23.00, JA Solar Holdings Co. (JASO) declining 9% to $10.13,
ReneSola Ltd. (SOL) dropping 7.6% to $4.50 and Trina Solar Ltd.
(TSL, K3KD.SG) down 6.8% to $16.10.
NQ Mobile Inc. (NQ) hosted a conference call in response to
Muddy Waters's short-sell report. The Dallas- and Beijing-based
provider of mobile Internet services also said its board had formed
an independent special committee to conduct an independent review
of the allegations raised in the report. The company said that the
report contains numerous errors of fact, misleading speculations
and malicious interpretations of events. Shares continued their
plunge, falling 12% to $10.63.
The Latin American index rose 0.5% to 302.00 and the emerging
markets index fell 0.1% to 283.58.
Brazilian state-run energy company Petroleo Brasileiro SA (PBR,
PETR4.BR), or Petrobras, said Friday that domestic crude oil output
rose for a second-consecutive month in September as new wells were
connected and maintenance work at offshore platforms ended. Shares
rose 2.1% to $15.91.
Mexican telecommunications company America Movil SAB (AMX,
AMX.MX) is keeping open its options regarding its minority stake in
Dutch carrier Royal KPN (KPN.AE), and is in no hurry to decide
whether it will maintain, reduce or eventually seek again to raise
it, Chief Executive Daniel Hajj said Friday. Shares edged up 0.4%
to $21.07.
Write to Anna Prior at anna.prior@wsj.com