AFP, LONDON: European stock markets rallied sharply yesterday building on Asian gains after Shanghai avoided a sharp selloff on its return from holidays and banks were buoyed by HSBC’s decision to stay in London.
Frankfurt and Paris jumped about 3.0 per cent and London won almost two per cent, while Athens surged six per cent and Milan soared 3.6 per cent in value.
The mood also brightened as Japanese investors shrugged off an economic contraction to propel Tokyo stocks more than seven per cent yesterday, leading an Asia recovery after last week’s horror show.
Shanghai fell 0.6 per cent —but losses were modest considering traders were playing catch-up with last week’s bloodbath across world stock markets. “No severe sell-off in Chinese markets, after a week’s holiday, has allowed London-listed financial stocks to break out of the doghouse and lead the FTSE higher, buoyed by HSBC’s decision to stay in the City,” CMC Markets analyst Jasper Hewson told AFP.
Markets had jumped higher on Friday, ending a brutal week on a positive note following solid US and German economic data and an increase in oil prices.
Asia-focused banking titan HSBC saw its share price rise 1.0 per cent to 445 pence in London on Monday, as investors welcomed news it would keep its headquarters in the British capital.
The lender’s Hong Kong-listed stock meanwhile rallied more than four per cent .
The news also lifted other banking stocks in London, with Lloyds Banking Group up 2.3 per cent and Royal Bank of Scotland adding 2.7 per cent .
“HSBC’s decision to keep its headquarters in London is a fillip for the City and the Treasury,” said Russ
Mould investment director at trading firm AJ Bell. “The government will be relieved that HSBC’s board decided unanimously to stay in the UK.”
Asian markets enjoyed a broadly healthy start to the week, but another poor trade report reinforced fears over China’s outlook.
Experts warned the gains were unlikely to be sustained for a long period, with the concerns that have wiped trillions off markets already this year—including the weak global economy and China’s slowdown—still unresolved.
|
A report by the workers’ rights group Labour Behind the Label said workers from three factories in Sri Lanka, three in India and two in Bangladesh were all being paid well below the amount required… 
Editor : M. Shamsur Rahman
Published by the Editor on behalf of Independent Publications Limited at Media Printers, 446/H, Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1215.
Editorial, News & Commercial Offices : Beximco Media Complex, 149-150 Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1208, Bangladesh. GPO Box No. 934, Dhaka-1000.
Editor : M. Shamsur Rahman
Published by the Editor on behalf of Independent Publications Limited at Media Printers, 446/H, Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1215.
Editorial, News & Commercial Offices : Beximco Media Complex, 149-150 Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1208, Bangladesh. GPO Box No. 934, Dhaka-1000.
|