Europe and Britain
European and British equities rebounded and finished last week on the plus side despite continued disappointing earning reports, lack of action by the European Central Bank and worries about terrorism. All three major indexes faltered Thursday when dismal U.S. economic news combined with the lack of an interest rate cut from the ECB dented investor confidence. But a U.S. equities rally late Thursday combined with Britain's surprisingly strong third quarter growth heartened market players and lifted the FTSE. The DAX and CAC also responded to the positive U.S. market performance, and combined with some less unfavorable earnings news, also ended the week on a vigorous note. All three indexes have ended the week on a positive note for four of the last five weeks.

Asia
Equities indexes followed here continued their largely positive performance of the past several weeks, thanks to gains in U.S. shares. The Tokyo Nikkei continues to recover from its September 21 low of 9555. It has gained 1,240 points or about 13 percent to 10,795. Similarly, the Hong Kong Hang Seng has risen from a September 21 low of 8934 to Friday's close of 10,404 for a gain of 1,470 points or 16.5 percent. Investors continue to see the United States rebounding sooner thanks to proactive Federal Reserve interest rate cuts and fiscal policies aimed at reviving the economy. With Asian economies tied by exports to U.S. performance, any positive sign in the United States is good news.

Introduction   •   Global Stock Market Indexes   •   Recap of Global Markets   •   Currencies   •  Indicator Scoreboard

The Bottom Line   •   Looking Ahead