NEW YORK - US stocks were mixed as the White House moved to convene meetings with leading members of Congress to seek an end to economic policy paralysis in Washington. The S&P 500 and Dow were slightly higher, but the sell-off in tech stocks continued unabated from Tuesday, when the Nasdaq plunged two per cent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 26.45 points, or 0.18 per ent, to 14,802.98. The broad-based S&P 500 added a bare 0.95 points, or 0.06 per cent, to 1,656.4, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index lost 17.05 points, or (0.46 per cent, to 3,677.78. Markets took in stride comments by President Barack Obama's nominee to lead the Federal Reserve, Fed veteran Janet Yellen, who said she would keep policy focused on boosting growth. LONDON - European stocks slid with news that President Barack Obama will nominate Janet Yellen to replace Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke failing to offset jitters over the US budget showdown. London's benchmark FTSE 100 index dropped 0.44 per cent to close at 6,337.91 points, while Frankfurt's DAX 30 fell 0.46 per cent to 8,516.69 points, and the CAC 40 in Paris slid 0.16 per cent to 4,127.05 points. HONG KONG - Asian shares markets were mostly higher as US debt woes were offset by President Barack Obama's offer of a short-term deal to end the crisis. There was also broad support for stocks and the US dollar on news that Obama would nominate Janet Yellen to take over from Ben Bernanke as Federal Reserve chief, raising hopes the bank would stick to its easy money policy. Tokyo climbed 1.03 per cent, or 143.23 points, to 14,037.84 and Shanghai closed 0.62 per cent higher, adding 13.57 points to 2,211.77. However, Hong Kong was 0.54 per cent lower in the afternoon. Seoul was closed for a public holiday. With the government shutdown moving into a ninth day, global investors are concerned Republicans and Democrats will not find a way round a budgetary impasse before an October 17 deadline to raise the borrowing limit. WELLINGTON - New Zealand shares extended their decline, as investors sold shares in preparation for the partial privatisation of Meridian Energy and as weak card spending figures weighed on retailers. The NZX 50 Index fell 28.045 points, or 0.6 per cent, to 4710.633.