Overnight US stocks ended at a fresh 13-month high ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, helped by a series of upbeat economic data. A report showed initial claims for US jobless insurance benefits plunged to their lowest levels since September last year. US incomes rose 0.2 per cent and consumer spending jumped 0.7 per cent in October. New home sales rose 6.2 per cent unexpectedly.
US stocks posted a strong gain overnight boosted by better-than-expected home sales. Existing-home sales increased by 10.1 per cent to a 6.1 million annual rate, from 5.54 million in September, the National Association of Realtors said. The US dollar was weaker on Monday on expectations that the interest rate would remain at near zero.
US equities fell for a third straight day on Friday as Dell's disappointing earnings result dragged the US stocks lower. Energy and materials companies were weighed down after European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet indicated that supportive stimulus measures must soon be unwound, prompting traders to buy US dollar.
Asian share markets mostly fell on Friday as investors' sentiment turned soured after the Wall Street losses overnight. Tokyo stocks fell sharply with the key Nikkei index hitting a fresh four-month intraday low under 9,500. Yen remained strong despite many key currencies were lower against US dollar.
On Friday, the US stocks were boosted by the encouraging earnings from major retailers and The Walt Disney Co. A record number of U.S. companies beat earnings expectations in the third quarter. This week a new round of economic data including retail sales, inflation readings and housing starts will be the focus after most corporate results already reported.
US stocks overnight closed at a new high for the year as the G20 finance ministers and central bankers pledged to keep stimulus measures until a recovery was certain. Dow jumped more than 200 points for the session, with 29 of the index's 30 components finished in the green.
Wall Street posted a small gain on Friday despite the Labour Department report showed the US unemployment rate broke above 10 per cent in October, up from 9.8 per cent in September. But the number of jobs lost narrowed to the lowest level in more than a year.
