BANGKOK - World stock markets were mixed Friday as investors digested a slew of disappointing data from the U.S. ahead of the release of a key measurement of the country's economic outlook. Investors were looking ahead to the Conference Board's index of leading indicators for April, to be released later Friday. The index is designed to anticipate economic conditions three to six months out. Analysts hope the figures will balance out several discouraging economic reports released Thursday, including a jump in unemployment aid applications to their highest level in six weeks.

The dollar, euro and yen traded broadly flat Thursday, despite fresh data signaling Japan's exit from recession and US numbers that underscored that underscored weaknesses in the US economy. At 2200 GMT, the euro was at $1.2886, compared to $1.2884 late Wednesday. The dollar was at 102.22 yen compared to 102.23 yen, while the euro was unchanged at 131.72 yen. The yen failed to hold onto early gains that followed official data in Tokyo showing Japan's economy exited from recession in the first quarter, expanding 0.9 percent from the previous quarter.

TORONTO - The Toronto Stock Exchange closed higher Thursday despite a pullback on Wall Street amid a round of disappointing reports that suggested the U.S. economy is not recovering as much as some would like to believe. The S It was a different story on Wall Street, where the Dow Jones index retreated 42.47 points to 15,233.22 and the S

Asian shares were mixed on Thursday despite another record US stocks close and fresh data that showed Japan's economy grew faster than expected in the quarter to March. The dollar was little changed against the yen after investors adjusted positions on the greenback's recent surge, while the euro was weak on gloomy European growth data. Tokyo fell 0.39 percent, or 58.79 points, to 15,037.24, Sydney dropped 0.50 percent, or 26 points, to 5,165.7, while Seoul rose 0.79 percent, or 15.55 points, to 1,986.81.