International stocks trading in New York were mixed on Monday.
The BNY Mellon index of American depositary receipts edged down
0.19% to 142.26. The European index edged up 0.04% to 140.31, the
Asian index dropped 0.23% to 150.31, the Latin American index fell
2.28% to 205.71 and the emerging markets index declined 1.18% to
255.17. Among the companies with shares that actively traded was
WPP PLC (WPPGY, WPP.LN).
WPP reported an increase in full-year net profit and forecast
sales and profitability this year will grow at a rate similar to
2014 as companies remain focused on cutting costs in a fragile
economic and geopolitical environment. The advertising giant,
considered a bellwether for the global economy, said caution is
again the watchword this year amid risks such as the fragile
eurozone economy and tensions in the Middle East. Shares rose 2.5%
to $118.37.
Indian shares extended their declines as investors booked
profits after a post-budget rally and surprise rate cut by the
central bank last week. Among the biggest decliners, Sesa Sterlite
Ltd. (SSLT, 500295.BY) dropped 4.9% to $12.72 and Infosys Ltd.
(INFY, 500209.BY) fell 1.2% to $34.83.
Sasol Ltd. (SSL, SOL.JO) has cut 1,500 jobs and said more will
go--the latest big round of layoffs in a global oil sector
scrambling to cope with the oil-price rout. Head count at the South
African petrochemicals giant will be "dramatically down" by June,
with Sasol pressing ahead with steep cuts in capital spending and a
reduction in its annual dividend, Chief Executive Officer David
Constable said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. Shares
fell 31 cents to $33.67.
Brazil's mobile-phone subscriptions rose in January despite the
country's sluggish economy. Total mobile-phone users in the country
reached 281.7 million in January, up from 280.73 million in
December. Beneficiaries of the growth in mobile-phone subscriptions
include Telefonica Brasil SA (VIV, VIVT4.BR), also known as Vivo,
part of Spain's Telefonica SA (TEF, TEF.MC), and TIM Participacoes
SA (TSU, TIMP3.BR). However, Telefonica Brasil shares fell 3.7% to
$15.78 and TIM Participacoes shares fell 1.5% to $18.61 amid a
broader downturn in Brazilian stocks.
Write to Tess Stynes at tess.stynes@wsj.com
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