Today was another slow one for US equity markets, which traded near the unchanged mark most of the day.  Japanese shares were mostly higher, but Chinese shares were lower, in part based on a crackdown on speculators that hit the metals hard there. The Asia Dow lost 0.68%. European concerns over the French election this weekend have largely dissipated, and all major markets were smartly higher.  The STOXX 600 was up only 0.65%, but the Europe Dow seemed more representative of what markets did, and was up 1.14%.