Australian Market Report of September 8: Europe and Asia Boosted Gains
US markets were closed for the Labour Day public holiday, while Europe and Asia markets posted strong gains on Monday.
US markets were closed for the Labour Day public holiday, while Europe and Asia markets posted strong gains on Monday.
Wall Street was higher on Friday as a government report showed that the pace of job losses slowed in August. But the US stocks were still in negative territory for the week with the worst performance since early July.
Overnight Wall Street fell following a massive sell-off in Chinese shares, which plunged 6.7 per cent on Monday. The Shanghai Composite index has lost more than 20% of its value in one month.
US stocks closed nearly unchanged Wednesday despite a stronger than expected increase of new home sales and a jump in durable goods orders. The market responded to the positive data with a shrug, as investors remained cautious and took their profits after rallies.
Overnight Wall Street was up on economic data, positive earnings and the nomination of Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke to serve a second term. The Conference Board's August index of consumer confidence rose for a second month, exceeding economists' forecast.
US stocks ended flat overnight in light trade volumes as the market was awaiting the economic data this week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged higher to its highest close in more than nine months.
Wall Street made a third consecutive day gain overnight as some latest economic data shows that the recession is bottoming out. Financials were also buoyed after Insurance giant American International Group said it expects to repay the government.