Most Asian markets end higher; Key indices in Europe trade lower

Most Asian markets ended higher, today. So, China's Shanghai Composite index gained 0.8 per cent after data showed that retail sales in China rose 17.7 per cent in April from a year earlier. Although they fell short of forecasts for a jump of 24.9 per cent, industrial output matched expectations with a rise of 9.8 per cent. Hong Kong's Hang index rose 0.6 per cent; Singapore's Straits Times index advanced 0.8 per cent. But Japan's Nikkei-225 index declined nea...