By Mia Lamar
International companies trading in New York closed higher
Wednesday after the Federal Reserve said it would continue with a
bond-buying plan aimed at boosting economic growth.
The Bank of New York index of ADRs rose 0.1% to 126.03.
The Federal Reserve's policy setting arm said it would stick to
its current plan despite an uptick in household spending and
brighter data from the real estate sector.
The European index ended about flat at 119.66.
Strong third-quarter sales in the Americas helped boost shares
of Germany's SAP AG (SAP, SAP.XE), the world's largest
business-software maker. The company also posted a 16% jump in
overall revenue, besting revenue declines for fellow software
manufacturers Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and International Business
Machines Corp. (IBM) during the same period. Shares rose 2.2% to
$71.21.
Shares of France's STMicroelectronics NV (STM, STM.FR, STM.MI)
gained 2.3% to $6.17 after the chip maker said late Tuesday it
expects improved revenue and gross margins in the second half of
2012.
The Latin American index rose 0.2% to 321.51 and the emerging
markets index added 0.3% to 278.92.
Mexican home construction and infrastructure company
Desarrolladora Homex SAB's (HXM, HOMEX.MX) profit nearly tripled in
the third quarter as revenue from the construction of two prisons
offset lower home sales. Shares jumped 6.1% to $14.19.
South African gold miners ended mixed after prices for the
precious metal retreated to a seven-week low.
Drdgold Ltd. (DRD, DRD.JO) added 0.8% to $6.52 while Gold Fields
Ltd. (GFI, GFI.JO) fell 0.7% to $11.85.
The Asian index rose 0.3% to 120.42.
Shares of South Korea's LG Display Co. (LPL, 034220.SE) gained
1.6% to $13.59 a day after Apple Inc. (AAPL) unveiled its new mini
iPad tablet. It is expected LG will be a supplier of LCD screens
for the new device.
Write to Mia Lamar at mia.lamar@dowjones.com