NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Dow extended gains on Monday, up 1 percent by afternoon trade, buoyed by big consumer staples stocks as Wall Street turned defensive. The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was up 131.96 points, or 1.01 percent, at 12,981.55. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index <.SPX> was up 4.26 points, or 0.31 percent, at 1,374.52. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was down 16.36 points, or 0.54 percent, at 2,994.97. (Reporting …

NEW YORK (Reuters) – World stock markets advanced on Friday, posting double-digit gains for the quarter, as economic reports showing U.S. consumer spending and sentiment still on the rise helped buoy stock prices and undercut the desire to hold bonds. U.S. government debt prices fell, marking the end of a tumultuous first quarter for Treasuries, marked by their worst three-month period since the fourth quarter of 2010. But stocks on Wall Street ended …

NEW YORK – Stocks are ending higher as Greece appeared close to announcing a deal with creditors to reduce its debt. The Dow Jones industrial average ended at its highest level since May 2008 Tuesday. The Dow rose 33 points to close at 12,878. It hasn’t closed higher since May 2008, before the financial crisis. It had been down as many as 62 points in the first half-hour of trading. The Standard & …

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks rose on Monday but were off their highs after a report that Germany and other European nations with top credit ratings could be downgraded shook some of the recent optimism about the euro zone’s outlook. S&P was poised to announce later on Monday that the credit ratings of Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Finland and Luxembourg would be “credit watch negative,” according to a Financial Times report. “It’s more …

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Asian shares fell to a sixteen-month reduced and rising market currencies tumbled on Friday amid fears of a international recession, but a pledge from the G20 to maintain economic stability assisted stem the scale of losses. Equity markets pulled back again from the depths of their slump and the euro gained soon after a assertion committed the Group of 20 significant economies to “get all required actions” and explained central …

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks edged larger in choppy trade on Thursday, led by gains in the technology sector in advance of a speech by U.S. President Barack Obama laying out a main jobs bundle. Indexes seesawed between modest gains and losses during the early morning session. Engineering stocks have been the day’s best gainers, supporting the Nasdaq, which outperformed other indexes. The Philadelphia semiconductor index (.SOX) was up 1.four percent. Banking institutions …

HONG KONG – Globe stocks struggled to hold onto the week’s gains as early declines on European markets on Thursday pared gains in Asian markets before in the day. Oil rose fell beneath $ 89 a barrel whilst the dollar strengthened against the euro and the yen. In early European trading, Britain’s FTSE one hundred fell .2 percent at 5,380.90 whilst France’s CAC-40 fell .seven % to 3,232.84. Germany’s DAX fell 1.3 percent …

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stock futures pointed to a slightly increased open up for equities on Friday after steep declines in the earlier session, with futures for the S&ampP 500, for the Dow Jones and for the Nasdaq 100 all up .2 %. U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is due to tackle central bankers at an yearly symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, at 1400 GMT. His speech very last 12 months laid …

BANGKOK – Asian markets rose Thursday right after stocks in Europe and the U.S. closed higher on a surge in need for autos and planes in July that offered an unexpectedly upbeat signal of lifestyle in the U.S. financial system. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index rose one.seven % in early trading to 8,788.99. Export shares were buoyed by a weakening yen, which lowers the cost of Japanese merchandise offered overseas. Nissan Motor Corp. jumped …

(Reuters) Wall Street was set to edge up on Thursday, with a important index at its highest in seven weeks, as traders await labor market place information offering indications of the recovery in the U.S. economy. * Futures for the Dow Jones, S&ampP 500 and Nasdaq ended up all up .3 % at 0855 GMT. * The FTSEurofirst 300 (.FTEU3) index of foremost European shares was up .three %, with traders cautious ahead …