Two of Seven Network Ltd's (ASX:SEV) largest independent shareholders have agreed to support the merger of the television network and industrial equipment company WesTrac Holdings after extracting better terms for the deal. Seven Network's key institutional shareholders Ausbil Dexia and Perennial Value represent around 28.1% of shares outside those held by ACE, Kerry Stokes' private vehicle.
Wall Street Tuesday posted modest gains following the report on the upbeat consumer confidence and home prices data. Technology stocks were also supported by news that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) was developing a new iPhone. Yesterday Asian markets closed mostly higher. This week investors are also looking to the US nonfarm payroll data and expecting an improving labour market. Japanese stocks broadly gained led by steel makers. Nikkei rose 1 per cent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was up 0.7 per cent while China's Shanghai Composite added 0.2 per cent. South Korea's Kospi increased 0.5 per cent.
US shares tumbled sharply for a third straight day on Friday as continued worries about the White House's plan to limit bank risk-taking. Google's disappointing earnings also hit the tech stocks. For the week, the Dow dropped 4.1 per cent, the S&P 500 lost 3.9 per cent and the Nasdaq tumbled 3.6 per cent.
Most Asian stock markets were lower Friday due to some profit taking selling before the release of US non-farm payrolls data.
Asian stock markets were widely up Wednesday after Wall Street climbed to a new high of the year overnight. Gold prices hit a record high for a second day today.
Asian shares were mostly steady on Tuesday after significant rebounds in the previous trading session. Yesterday the Dow index concluded the last trading day of November in positive territory. It was its fifth consecutive monthly gain, despite a bad news from Dubai.
US stocks closed higher overnight as Dubai World said it was in discussions with banks to restructure US$26 billion in debt and the talks were proceeding on a constructive basis. Global markets strongly rebounded yesterday as investors realised that Dubai's trouble might be a regional problem.
