Stock market fixing:
Nikkei 225 +164.82 +1.2% 14,118.55
Topix +12.99 +1% 1,373.04
FTSE 100 +4.10 +0.07% 6,216.00
CAC 40 +56.57 +1.13% 5,055.24
Xetra Dax +23.05 +0.33% 7,083.24
DOW +66.20 +0.52% 12,898.38
NASDAQ +1.58 +0.06% 2,496.70
S&P 500 +5.62 +0.40% 1,408.66
10yr Note +0.2900 +0.074%
3.938%
NYMEX Crude Oil -1.58
-1.26% 124.22
Gold -3.10 -0.36% 866.50
Japanese stocks rose for a third day as investors snatched up companies offering
dividends and share buybacks, and Inpex Holdings Inc. climbed to a record after
saying its gas reserves were larger than expected.
Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Co.
soared the most in a decade after raising its dividend by a fifth. Japan
Securities Finance Co. gained after saying it will spend most of its profit on
dividends. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. sent banks lower on a newspaper
report it may book bigger-than-expected losses on security investments.
Inpex gained 3.9%, the highest since
it listed on the exchange in April 2006.
Canon Inc. advanced 2.2%, the
highest since Dec. 17. Honda Motor Co. added 3.1%.
Mitsubishi UFJ dived 2%, while
smaller rival Mizuho Financial Group Inc. slumped 1.2%. Nomura Holdings Inc. lost
2%.
European stocks advanced for the second day this week after earnings from BNP Paribas SA
topped estimates, takeover speculation lifted mining shares and a report on U.S.
consumer prices suggested inflation may be contained.
BNP Paribas, France's largest bank, gained the most in six
weeks, while BHP Billiton Ltd. climbed to a record on speculation Aluminum
Corp. of China
may buy a stake. Volkswagen AG, Europe's
largest carmaker, and consumer-electronics maker Royal Philips Electronics NV
advanced after consumer prices rose last month less than economists forecast in
the world's largest economy.
BNP Paribas climbed 4.9%. The
company reported a 21% to 1.98 billion euros ($3.1 billion) in first-quarter
profit.
ING Groep NV rose 3.9%. The biggest
Dutch financial-services firm had first-quarter profit of 1.54 billion euros.
That was in-line with 1.56 billion euros from a survey of analysts.
BHP Billiton, seeking to buy Rio Tinto Group
for $178 billion, jumped 4.9% on speculation Aluminum Corp. of China, also
known by Chinalco, may buy a stake.
Rio Tinto rose 3.6% after BHP
Billiton Chief Executive Officer Marius Kloppers wouldn't exclude adding cash
to his all-stock offer for the world's third-biggest mining company.
Stocks on Wall Street rose on reaction to a lower than expected inflation reading.
April CPI rose 0.2%
month-over-month, compared to the expected rise of 0.3%.Excluding fuel and energy costs, CPI rose
0.1%, compared to the expected 0.2% increase. CPI is up 3.9% compared to last
year, and CPI ex food and energy is up 2.3%. Separately, Macy's reported first
quarter earnings of $0.02 per share, excluding nonrecurring items, which topped
expectations by four cents.The company
reaffirmed its guidance for full year 2009, as it expects to earn between $1.85
and $2.15 per share.
In earnings news, Freddie Mac reported a smaller-than-expected loss of $0.66 per share,
compared to the consensus estimate that called for a loss of $0.93.The company expects to raise $5.5 billion in
capital in the near future.Meanwhile,
Deere and Whole Foods missed their estimates, while Electronic Arts came out
ahead of expectations.
