Global stocks higher as global rally continues on Fed low rates pledge, hopes of more easing

Publie le 10 aout 2011

By Pamela Sampson, The Associated Press

An employee reacts under a monitor flashing the yen-dollar exchange rate at a foreign exchange firm in Tokyo Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2011. The Japanese yen climbed against the dollar amid worries about the U.S. economic recovery. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT, NO LICENSING IN CHINA, FRANCE, HONG KONG, JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA

BANGKOK - Global stock markets rose Wednesday following a surge on Wall Street triggered by a Federal Reserve pledge to keep interest rates super low for the next two years to help the ailing U.S. economy.

Oil prices rose to near $82 a barrel, while the dollar slid against the yen and the euro. European shares were slightly higher in early trading after a restorative rally in Asia.

Britain's FTSE 100 index rose 0.2 per cent to 5,177.23. Germany's DAX was 0.9 per cent higher at 5,977.73 while the CAC-40 in Paris dipped 0.3 per cent into negative territory at 3,153.01.

Meanwhile, Wall Street appeared set to capitulate after sizable gains the day before. Dow Jones industrial futures drooped 134 points, or 1.2 per cent, to 11,060 and broader S&P 500 futures gave up 12.90 points, or 1.1 per cent, to 1,158.80.

On Tuesday, the Dow finished with a 429-point gain after the Fed said it would keep its key interest rate at a record low of nearly zero through the middle of 2013. The index dived 634.76 points the day before after Standard and Poor's cut the U.S. government's credit rating, sending shock waves through global markets.

Analysts warned investors to brace for more sharp swings in markets amid a dearth of signs of improvement in the global economy.

"There is a lot of fear and uncertainty in the market, and negatives will add to that. So if we see an increase in unemployment from the U.S., that is going to cause an increase in volatility," said Samuel LeCornu, portfolio manager at Macquarie Funds Group in Hong Kong .

Japan 's Nikkei 225 index climbed 1.1 per cent to close at 9,038.74 following a 7.6 per cent loss in the last three days. Export shares, however, continued to struggle because of the strong yen, which hurts the country's export-driven economy by reducing the value of foreign earnings.

Honda Motor Co. lost 2.2 per cent and rival Toyota Motor Corp. was down 0.9 per cent. Consumer electronics giant Sony Corp. fell 2.2 per cent.

Hong Kong 's Hang Seng jumped 2.3 per cent to 19,783.67. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index closed up 2.4 per cent.

The Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.9 per cent to 2,549.18 and the smaller Shenzhen Composite Index gained 1.4 per cent. Indexes in Taiwan and India also gained.

South Korea 's Kospi, which at one point Tuesday plummeted nearly 10 per cent, added 0.3 per cent to 1,806.24.

Gains in Asia were broad-based, with banking shares among the key movers. Australia's Westpac Banking Corp. was 4.6 per cent higher and National Australia Bank Ltd. soared 6.1 per cent. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the world's biggest bank by market value, gained 1 per cent.

Shares in airlines, benefiting from expectations that lower oil prices will reduce jet fuel costs, were also sharply higher. Hong Kong-listed Air China climbed 4.3 per cent. South Korea 's Asiana Airlines rose 2.1 per cent and Taiwan's EVA Airways Corp. bounced up 5.5 per cent.

Worries about the U.S. economic recovery have been building since the government said that economic growth was far weaker in the first half of 2011 than economists expected. In a reversal of earlier forecasts, economists now believe there is a greater chance of another U.S. recession because the economy grew much more slowly in the first half of 2011 than previously thought.

The manufacturing and services industries barely grew in July. The unemployment rate remains above 9 per cent, despite the 154,000 jobs added in the private sector in July.

Economies across the globe are also struggling.

Concerns are growing that Spain or Italy could become the next European country to be unable to repay its debts. High inflation in less-developed countries, which have been the world's main economic engine through the recovery, is another concern. China's inflation rose to a 37-month high in July.

Benchmark oil for September delivery was up $2.55 to $81.82 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. In London, Brent crude was up $2.81 to $105.40 per barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

The dollar sank to 76.67 yen from 77.01 yen late Tuesday in New York. The euro strengthened to $1.4350 from $1.4222.