Australian stocks rose Wednesday following encouraging earnings result from media group News Corp. At the close, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index gained 42.6 points, or 0.9 per cent, at 4647.9, while the broader All Ordinaries index rose 44.4 points, or 1 per cent, to 4673.2.
Asian shares were lifted on Tuesday after strong U.S. manufacturing data. Japan's Nikkei index ended 1.63 percent higher, after Toyota's plans to fix millions of vehicles equipped with faulty accelerators in North America and Europe. Australian shares climbed as metals prices rose, but Australian dollar was pulled down by RBA's unexpected decision to keep interest rate unchanged.
Australian shares on Thursday rose on Rio Tinto's report on strong production and sales. The upbeat jobs data and rebounding Asian markets also helped to lift the market. At the close, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index gained 29.9 points, or 0.6 per cent, at 4898, while the broader All Ordinaries index advanced 29.3 points, or 0.6 per cent, to 4929.4.
US markets closed flat overnight after a report of private-sector job losses and Federal Reserve minutes showing concern about weakness in the labour market. Asian stocks ended mostly higher Wednesday as investors were still in an upbeat mood, but China's Shanghai Composite index was 0.9 per cent lower due to worries over inflation and a possible fund raising by Bank of China.
Asian shares could be lifted after US and European markets rallied overnight on optimistic outlook of 2010. Yesterday Asian markets mostly kicked off the new year with gains. Japan's Nikkei surged 1 per cent on yen's weakness and a financial lifeline to Japan Airlines. The global markets also cheered for the strong manufacturing data from China and India. However, China's Shanghai Composite fell 1 per cent on Monday over fears on inflation.
ABN Newswire announces the launch of a multi-language financial news application designed especially for the new generation of Apple iPhone users. The application is targeted towards investors who need time critical breaking press releases and company news delivered to their mobile device in their native language.
Asian investors continued cautious trading on Thursday amid ongoing debt jitters. Most Asian shares reversed to positive territory after some small drops at opening. Yesterday bourses across the region were hit by a series of credit rating downgrade. Japan's Nikkei fell 1.3 per cent, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index dropped 1.4 per cent, and China's Shanghai Composite was down 1.7 per cent.
