Markets mixed but entering typically strong period

Markets were mixed on Monday.

The S&P 500 fell less than 0.1 percent while the STOXX Europe 600 rose 0.2 percent.

Earlier in Asia, the Shanghai Composite fell 0.3 percent but the Nikkei 225 jumped 1.4 percent.

“In the absence of any macro news or surprising corporate announcements, markets are trading mostly flat,” said Tom Martin, senior portfolio manager at Globalt Investments.

Still, Patti Domm at CNBC noted that US stocks typically outperform in the two-week period following the 15 April tax filing deadline according to Bespoke Investment Group.

“April seasonally is a strong month,” Paul Hickey, co-founder of Bespoke, was quoted as saying.