Asia
China’s stock market maintained its recent winning run after the Government said it take a more active role in fiscal policy to stimulate the economy. Beijing is expected to employ tax cuts amid fears that recent tightening in regulation for firms has stifled growth.
A rise in the shares of Google parent company Alphabet (GOOGL) in after-hours trading also boosted sentiment,
The Shanghai Composite Index advanced 1.6% to move back above 2,900 points. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng also benefited from investors’ renewed appetite for shares, as it gained nearly 1.5%.
Japan’s Nikkei and Topix indices made modest advances in sync with global markets but recent signs of strength in the yen have added some caution to equity markets.
Europe
Stock markets across Europe rose on Tuesday morning as they were given a fair wind by Asia. The FTSE 100 made up for an indifferent start to the trading today by pushing up nearly 1% to 7,715 points. Germany’s Dax, so often the outperformer when global markets are in buoyant mood, was again the highest gaining eurozone market, rising nearly 1.5%.
The FTSE 100 was buoyed by miners and banks, while defensive stocks were on the back foot.
Shares in AIM star Fevertree (FEVR) surged over 10% as the drinks maker’s results once again beat expectations. The company’s shares, which were around 165p in November 2014, jumped 450p today to a record high of just over £39.
North America
Alphabet’s results came too late to give US markets a boost but the generally more positive direction in Asia and Europe is expected to give the Dow Jones, S&P and Nasdaq a push higher in the thick of earnings season. Facebook (FB) results are tomorrow, followed by Amazon (AMZN) on Thursday.
Giant companies reporting today include AT&T (T), 3M (MMM) and Verizon (VZ).