Global markets were mixed overnight, with gains in Europe countered by losses in the US.

European stocks advanced on the back of strength in carmakers and Ryanair Holdings, which jumped the most in more than 1 1/2 years as Europe's largest low-cost carrier said full-year profit rose 13%.

In London, the FTSE 100 gained 33 points (+0.5%) to settle at 6756 while the German DAX gained 58 points (+0.7%) to finish at 8456.

U.S. stocks declined as investors weighed the pace of central bank stimulus efforts amid corporate dealmaking.

The S&P 500 retreated by one point (-0.1 %) to settle at 1,666 after rising as much as 0.3% earlier. The blue chip Dow Jones declined by 19 points (-0.1%) to settle at 15335.

Gold futures rebounded after Moody's said U.S. policy makers must address debt woes to avoid a credit-rating downgrade this year.

Crude Oil futures declined as much as 0.8% in New York as U.S. equity indexes were little changed. Oil for June delivery fell 51 cents to $95.51 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The yen gained the most in three weeks against the greenback as Japanese Economy Minister Akira Amari said further losses in the currency would have negative effects after it fell to the lowest since 2008 last week.

Today's session will bring us the latest RBA Monetary Policy Meeting Minutes, at 11:30am this morning. The minutes will likely provide some clues as to the future direction of interest rates in Australia.

Morning Market Update: Quiet Overnight is a post from: Australian Stock Report Market Pulse Blog