Global shares higher after US Fed's mixed signals
US stocks rose, lifted by a rebound in tech shares following Intel's results, though financials limited gains as Bank of America sold off. European shares edged up but the euro eased today after testimony from US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.
The Dow Jones industrial average gained 103.16 points, or 0.81 percent, to 12,908.70. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index rose 9.11 points, or 0.67 percent, to 1,372.78. The Nasdaq Composite Index added 32.56 points, or 1.12 percent, to 2,942.60.
European equity markets rose to two-week highs, buoyed by a string of upbeat corporate earnings on both sides of the Atlantic, which helped push up investor risk appetite to its strongest in nearly four months.
The FTSEurofirst 300 closed up 1.2 percent at 1,053.70 points, its highest since July 5 and nudging the top of this month's narrow 1,024 to 1,054 trading range. The EuroSTOXX 50 added 1.5 percent to 2,284.70 points.
In Asia, Nikkei share average slipped today, failing to maintain early gains as falls in other Asian markets offset guarded economic optimism after some firm US corporate earnings.
The Nikkei share average fell 0.3 percent to 8,726.74. The broader Topix fell 0.4 percent to 740.46, marking its ninth straight day of decline, longest such period since June-July 2009.
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