Warren Buffett“A public opinion poll is no substitute for thought.”
Adlin Sinclair“Success is a welcomed gift for the uninhibited mind.”
European stocks climb after Asian gains (AFP)
sprinted ahead Monday, powered by strong gains in Asia, with
breaking through the 6,000-point barrier and Paris closing in on 4,000 points.
Trading volumes were thin in post-Christmas exchanges and the London market was closed for a holiday.
The advances in Europe followed a solid performance in Asia, where Tokyo's Nikkei-225 index added 1.33 percent to close at 10,634.23, its best finish since August 26, on the back of a weaker yen and upbeat economic data.
of leading stocks breached 6,000 points as trading began on Monday, the first time it had reached the benchmark since September 26, 2008.
The index opened at 5,977.99 points but moved to 6,001.38 points in early trade. By midday it was up 0.74 percent at 6,001.43.
Shares in the biggest German energy group, E.ON, rose 2.28 percent to lead the gainers while auto maker Volkswagen added 1.40 percent.
had risen 0.72 percent to 3,940.95 from Thursday's close while the Eurostoxx index of leading eurozone shares was up 0.76 percent at 2,979.83.
The Paris market last week recorded consecutive daily gains from Monday to Thursday, ending the period at its highest level for 15 months.
Market watchers said the 4,000-point threshold could be reached later this week. But analysts cautioned that the advance would likely reflect weak trading volumes rather than increased confidence in global economic recovery prospects.
fell 2.74 percent in early Paris trade after a French industrial alliance was passed over by the
.
The UAE awarded the 20.4-billion-dollar contract to a South Korean-led consortium, the
(KEPCO).
's top energy firms, EDF, GDF-Suez and Total, along with engineering giants Vinci and
to present the bid.
EDF, GDF-Suez, Total, Vinci and Alston shrugged off the loss and gained ground early Monday.
In Tokyo earlier in the day better-than-expected factory output data for November cheered investors.
surged 4.8 percent and Nippon Mining Holdings leapt 5.4 percent after the
after a planned merger.
“Overcapacity has been a major problem for the sector, so this is definitely a positive,” said Tokai Tokyo Research Center analyst Katsumi Hosoi.
, which raised optimism about the outlook for demand for their products.
Elsewhere in Asia there were gains of 1.51 percent in Shanghai and 0.63 percent in Singapore. In Hong Kong shares fell 0.17 percent.
were reportedly set to close out 2009 on a high note, with markets expected to hold on to solid gains after staging a remarkable turnaround from a chaotic start to the year.