Stock market fixing:
Nikkei 225 +133.19 +0.90% 14,251.74
Topix +19.83 +1.40% 1,392.87
FTSE +35.80 +0.58% 6,251.80
DAX -2.19 -0.03% 7,081.05
CAC +2.27 +0.04% 5,057.51
Dow +94.28 +0.73% 12,992.66
NASDAQ +37.03 +1.48% 2,533.73
S&P +14.91 +1.06% 1,423.57
10yr Note -0.9500 -0.241% 3.843%
NYMEX Crude Oil -0.10 -0.08% 124.12
Gold +13.40 +1.55% 879.90
Japan's stocks climbed to a four-month high after Sony Corp. forecast higher earnings, boosting confidence companies relying on overseas markets are becoming less vulnerable to exchange rates.
Sony, which gets a quarter of its sales from the U.S., leapt the most in seven months, while NEC Electronics Corp. soared the most in almost a year. Steelmakers rose on a report Toyota Motor Corp. agreed to a price increase for the alloy.
Sony soared 8.7%, the sharpest jump since Oct. 26. Operating profit is expected to rise by a fifth this fiscal year, the company said, while its game-console unit will post its first profit in three years.
NEC Electronics leapt 14%, the most since July 11.
Nippon Steel Corp. climbed 7%, the most in two months, on speculation it will pass on rising raw-material costs by raising prices.
Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd. surged 5.8%, while market leader Nippon Yusen K.K. gained 1.5%.
EU stocks rose after report showed European economic growth accelerated more in the first quarter than economists estimated as the strongest German expansion in 12 years powered the euro region through the global slowdown. Gross domestic product in the 15 euro countries increased 0.7% from the fourth quarter, the European Union's statistics office in Luxembourg said today.
French media group Vivendi reported forecast-beating results, in spite of a drop in first-quarter profits due in part to the weak dollar. Its shares climbed 5.2%.
In France, ArcelorMittal lost 0.1% and steel tube maker Vallourec dropped 0.2% after strong gains earlier this week.
In France, Credit Agricole sank a further 1.3% bringing its losses for the week to 8.6%.
The bank announced a €5bn asset sale on Thursday as well as a €5.9bn rights issue earlier this week. Societe Generale and BNP Paribas also fell, sliding 0.4% and 0.3% respectively.
Stocks rose Thursday as investors considered rising oil and gas prices, a weaker reading on manufacturing and a rash of deal news and rumors.
Jobless claims. The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment rose 6,000 last week to 371,000, just topping forecasts for a rise to 370,000.
Manufacturing. The NY Empire State index, a regional read on manufacturing, came in at minus 3.2, versus forecasts for a flat reading. Any negative reading indicates weakness in the sector.
Yahoo under pressure. Activist shareholder Carl Icahn is launching a campaign against the Internet company's board of directors so as to restart deal talk with would-be buyout partner Microsoft. Yahoo (YHOO, Fortune 500).
CBS buying CNet. The broadcaster is buying the Internet company for $1.8 billion in cash, in a deal that will make CBS one of the top 10 web companies in the U.S. CBS (CBS, Fortune 500). CNet (CNET).
GE could sell appliance division. The conglomerate has reportedly hired Goldman Sachs to seek buyers for the sale of its business, which could be worth between $5 billion and $8 billion. GE