Britain's leading share index rose 0.5 percent early on Tuesday, drawing strength from a rebound on Wall Street overnight, with gains in banks and miners offsetting weakness in defensive telecoms and pharmaceuticals.
U.S. stocks are expected to trade higher on Tuesday as the futures for the Dow Jones industrial average DJc1, S&P 500 SPc1 and Nasdaq Composite NDc1 were up 0.2 to 0.3 percent at 0818 GMT.
Brazil's stocks rallied on Monday, extending the previous trading session's gains when Rio de Janeiro won the bid to host the 2016 Olympics.
The Aussie dollar rallied in local trade yesterday following some relatively upbeat comments out of the G7 and another strong reading in the ANZ job advertisements. After opening the weeks trade around 0.8650 investors flocked to the AUD ahead of today's RBA interest rate meeting with some sections of the market expecting a rate increase.
The following are comments on Monday from finance officials in Istanbul for the Group of Seven, IMF and World Bank meetings.
he interbank cost of borrowing
euros for three-months fell to a record low on Monday, pushed
lower by expectations that interest rates will stay low and the
markets remain flush with liquidity for some time.
Hong Kong stocks erased earlier
losses to close up 0.26 percent on Monday, as investors hunted
for bargains after shares fell to three-week lows, but concerns
about the state of the U.S. economy capped gains.
European shares rose in early trade on Monday, having hit a four-week closing low on Friday, as the euro zone's services sector returned to growth, and with miners and banks gaining on positive broker comment.
U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher start on Monday to snap a four-day losing streak. The futures for the Dow Jones industrial average DJc1, the S&P 500 SPc1 and the Nasdaq Composite NDc1 were up 0.5-0.6 percent at 0822 GMT.
Group of Seven financial ministers and central bank governors will likely discuss the economic and financial developments that are behind recent currency moves at their meeting this weekend, Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa said on Friday.
The head of the International Monetary Fund on Friday called for a further increase in IMF resources so it could play a credible global lender of last resort role.
European shares hit a four-week low on Friday, extending the previous day's sharp losses, with investors anxious before key U.S. jobs figures after data this week raised doubt about the strength of economic recovery.
Weakness in miners and financials dragged Britain's top share index 0.9 percent lower by midday on Friday, as weak data this week increased investors' concerns, denting risky assets ahead of U.S. non-farm payrolls data.
The Australian Dollar opens lower on Friday at US87 cents despite posting another 13-month high during yesterday's local trading session.
Unemployment in the 16-country euro zone rose to a more than 10-year high of 9.6 percent in August and economists warned it will likely worsen further, hurting the prospects for a strong economic recovery.
Planned layoffs at U.S. firms fell in September, showing further signs that the labor market is improving.
Planned job cuts announced by U.S. employers fell to 66,404 last month, down 13 percent from 76,456 in August, according to a report released on Thursday by global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.
U.S. stock index futures fell on Thursday as investors awaited a raft of data, including manufacturing and jobless, that could provide clues on the strength of an economic recovery. The data due out will also include pending home sales, personal income and consumption, and may offer fresh evidence on the strength of the U.S. recovery, ahead of Friday's non-farm payrolls.
Planned layoffs at U.S. firms fell in September, showing further signs that the labor market is improving.
Planned job cuts announced by U.S. employers fell to 66,404 last month, down 13 percent from 76,456 in August, according to a report released on Wednesday by global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.
Weakness from commodity stocks and banks outweighed gains in insurers by midsession Thursday, leaving European shares 0.3 percent weaker as nervousness about the global economy resurfaced.
Britain's top shares fell 0.7 percent by mid-session on Thursday, as weak banks, miners and energy stocks dragged the index lower, outweighing strength in life insurers.
* U.S. stock index futures point to a flat to weaker start for Wall Street on Thursday, with the Nasdaq Composite futures NDc1 down 0.3 percent after Cisco System (CSCO.O) offered to buy Norwegian Tandberg for $3 billion in cash.
The Australian Dollar opens today at 0.8810 having surged higher during local trade on Wednesday after stronger than expected economic data.
The greenback advanced against its major rivals in the Wednesday trading session, edging higher against the euro toward the 1.46-level, while pushing the pound sterling to beneath the 1.60-figure and briefly dragging the Swiss franc to a 3-week low at 1.0447. The catalyst for the dollar's gains was a sharply weaker than forecast report on Chicago PMI.
The Australian Dollar maintained its upward momentum against the Greenback during local trade yesterday, spurred on by an increase in the local equity market and the continuing news that interest rates are tipped to rise in Australia.
The economy is still spooking shoppers. U.S. consumers plan to spend an average of $56.31 on Halloween this year, down from $66.54 in 2008, according to a National Retail Federation survey.
Japan's Nikkei average rose 0.9 percent on Tuesday, with exporters such as Kyocera Corp (6971.T) rebounding after the yen pulled back from an eight-month high against the dollar.
European shares dipped on Tuesday after the previous session's sharp gains, dragged lower by commodity stocks, but financials offered support after BNP Paribas raised capital to shake off government influence.
Britain's leading share index was 0.4 percent weaker in mid-session trade on Tuesday, with weakness in commodity stocks outweighing gains in financials as investors booked profit after recent gains.
U.S. stock index futures edged lower on Tuesday as investors awaited data on home prices and consumer confidence, following solid gains in the previous session.
The Australian Dollar opens higher against the greenback on Tuesday at 0.8720.
