Asian stock markets were dampened by a weak China manufacturing survey Thursday, but European stocks opened higher. Japan gained on the prospect of a stronger dollar after Fed minutes showed policymakers are leaning toward their first rate hike since the 2008 financial crisis. KEEPING SCORE: Britain’s FTSE 100 added 0.2 percent to 6,771.49 and Germany’s DAX gained 0.4 percent to 9,354.87. France’s CAC 40 was up 0.4 percent to 4,259.54. Futures augured more gains on Wall Street. S&P 500 futures rose 0.1 percent and Dow Jones futures added 0.2 percent. CHINA CHILL: Growth in China’s vast manufacturing industry weakened in August, suggesting that the recovery in the world No. 2 economy is losing momentum and Beijing may need to spoon out more stimulus. The preliminary version of HSBC’s manufacturing index fell to a three-month low of 50.3 from 51.7 in July, indicating that manufacturing […]