Markets mixed after bank rates shift

US stock indexes were mixed Thursday morning after central banks in Europe and China elected to lower their wholesale lending rates. The European Central Bank in Frankfurt, Germany, lowered its benchmark lending rate from 1 percent to 0.75 percent. In Beijing, the People's Bank of China said its bank-to-bank lending rate would be set at 6 percent, down from 6.3 percent. After posting gains in the previous trading sessions, the Dow Jones industrial average lost 19.45 points or 0.15 percent to 12,924.37. The S&P 500 shed 3.62 points or 0.26 percent to 1,370.40. The Nasdaq composite index gained 3.97 points or 0.13 percent to 2,980.05. The 10-year benchmark treasury note rose 9/32 to yield 1.589 percent. The euro fell to $1.2381 from Tuesday's $1.2527 Against the yen, the dollar rose to 79.94 yen from 79.87 yen. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index gained 0.21 percent, 24.37, to 9,079.80.