U.S. stocks rose on Monday on strong earnings and merger activity, overshadowing concerns about the possible spread of unrest in Egypt which had caused a sharp selloff in world stocks on Friday.
U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Monday as the potential for spreading geopolitical tremors in the Middle East caused investors to exercise caution.
The most famous Egyptian in the world, actor Omar Sharif, well known for starring in film classics such as Doctor Zhivago and Lawrence of Ariabia, told a French radio station this morning that Mubarak should go.
U.S. consumer spending rose more than expected in December to post the sixth straight month of gains as households drew down on their savings to fund purchases, government data showed on Monday.
A new Egyptian cabinet took office on Monday but the protest movement calling for the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak said the changes were irrelevant.
Governments, airlines and tour operators worked together on Monday to fly their nationals out of Egypt where protesters pressed their campaign to topple President Hosni Mubarak.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak overhauled his government on Monday to try to defuse a popular uprising against his 30-year rule but angry protesters rejected the changes and said he must surrender power.
The violent protests in Egypt could deal a major blow to the country’s vital tourism industry, a development that could be economically crushing to the already riot-ravaged country.
Dow Jones Index was up 21.99 points, or 0.19 percent, to 11,845.69 and the S&P 500 index rose 4.54 points, or 0.36 percent, to trade at 1,280.88. Meanwhile, Nasdaq gained 0.39 points, or 0.01 percent, to 2,687.28.
Iranians have found their access to major news websites even more restricted than usual as more foreign sites were blocked by a government filter, Reuters witnesses observed on Monday.
U.S. stock index futures edged higher on Monday as merger activity and expectations for solid earnings overshadowed concerns about the possible spread of unrest in Egypt to other parts of the Middle East.
[Gold] buying continued on fears the unrest in Egypt will spread across the Middle East, says Richcomm Global Services in Dubai. But Asia's gold market is less sensitive to what happened in Middle East compared to New York, said a Hong Kong dealer in a note this morning.
Protests in Egypt sparked a sell-off in Apache Corp. (NYSE: APA) shares as investors feared disruption in operations, said an analyst at RBC Capital Markets.
U.S. consumer spending rose more than expected in December to post the sixth straight month of gains as households drew down on their savings to fund purchases, government data showed on Monday.
Investors have pulled out hundreds of millions of dollars out of riot-torn Egypt since the uprising began last week, leading to fears that if the crisis continues, Egypt may not have enough in currency reserves to prevent a longer-term economic and financial crisis.
Israel, which has been at peace with Egypt since 1979, has expressed its support for the beleaguered regime of President Hosni Mubarak, while its allies in Europe and the U.S. have more aggressively pushed Mubarak to enact reforms in the face of a massive uprising.
Al-Jazeera, the Qatar-based Arabic news network which has already been shut down in Egypt, said six of its English-speaking journalists have been arrested in Egypt, amidst continuing unrest in the country.
The Egyptian government has abruptly shut down Internet, the main access point that can help people communicate with the outside world. But all is not lost as a few hackers have come across a solution to the nationwide shutdown.
The army is firing heavy machine guns in the streets of Alexandria, Egypt, reported CNN on TV.
Gold eased on Monday after posting its largest daily gain in eight weeks on Friday and while the market did encounter some safe-haven buying on the back of the unrest in Egypt, this was expected to be temporary.
Stock index futures were mixed on Monday, with investors in a cautious mood due to the Egyptian political upheaval. Investors are worried about the possibility the unrest could spread to other Arab nations, which could drive up oil prices and potentially dampen growth prospects.
Support is gaining ground in the euro zone for giving Greece more time to pay back its EU bailout to avoid default and ease the worst-indebted EU state's debt burden, although details still have to be pinned down.