Asian equity indices today traded mixed. China's Shanghai Composite index gained 0.7 percent and South Korea's KOSPI ended almost flat. Hong Kong's Hang Seng plunged 1.9 percent, Japan's NIKKEI-225 fell 0.4 percent and Singapore's Straits Times closed 0.4 percent down.  

European share markets were up in intra-day trade, London's FTSE 100 and France's CAC, both gained 0.3 percent while Germany's DAX fell 0.2 percent.