Global markets rallied on renewed hopes that Europe will succeed in improving its bailout plan. In Asia, the Nikkei jumped 1.6% to 8287, the Kospi rallied 2.2%, and Australia’s ASX 200 climbed 1.9%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 2% to 18037, while the Shanghai Composite lagged the region, edging up a mere .1%.
European markets soared, with the CAC40 leading the advance, gaining 5.5% to 3013. The DAX jumped 4.6% and the FTSE advanced 2.9%. The Stoxx European banking index posted gains of 5.7%, as financials bounced strongly.
The rally continued in the US, with the Dow gaining 291 points to 11523. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 both snapped a 7-day losing streak, climbing 3.5% and 2.9% respectively.
Currencies
The US Dollar declined as a spike in optimism encouraged risk taking, but settled well of its lows. The Australian Dollar soared 1.9% to .9898 after trading as high as .9976, and the Canadian Dollar jumped 1.1% to 1.0354. The Euro gained .6% to 1.3312, the Swiss Franc rose .8% to 1.0834, and the British Pound closed up .4% to 1.5505. The Japanese Yen declined .3% to 77.95, bucking the trend.
Economic Outlook
New home sales rose by 4000 to 307K, but were below expectations of 313K