Uneven Session for World Markets

NEW YORK —  It was a mixed session for international markets Monday as Asian stocks struggled and European issues managed some gains.

U.S. markets were closed in observance of the Memorial Day holiday, prompting many investors to take the day off and wait to see how U.S. stocks fared before making big moves.

In Asia, Tokyo’s benchmark stock index was essentially unchanged, rising 0.07 of a point to 11,976.35. The flat performance came on profit taking and a late-afternoon sell-off in technology issues, including Sony.

Hong Kong stocks closed lower in light trading Monday. The key Hang Seng index dropped 62.05 points, or 0.5%, to 11,564.73.

European markets were uneven, with sentiment about the telecommunications sector alternately helping and depressing the indexes.

Germany’s DAX index gained a solid 62.41 points, or 1.3%, to 4,961.54, aided by strong gains in Deutsche Telekom. The firm’s annual general meeting is scheduled for today.

In France, concern about another telecom company’s performance dampened but failed to halt the CAC-40 index, which rose 23.28 points, or 0.5%, to 4,360.71. Investors were closely watching France Telecom to see what the company would say at its annual meeting today. The stock fell 3.1%.

And anxiety about Vodafone, which also is scheduled to release results today, weighed on Britain’s FTSE-100. The index slipped 32.80 points, or 0.6%, to 5,136.30. The mobile phone company finished down 7.1%.

U.S. markets reopen today.