Foreign Markets
Stocks in China rose sharply to start the week after the country’s premier stated over the weekend that the economic situation in China is improving and better than expected. In Shanghai rose 2.1 % to 2,557.46 while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng climbed 1 % to 15,750.91. Elsewhere in Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 stock average gained 17.17 points, or 0.2 %, to 8,924.75 while South Korea advanced 0.6 % to 1,336.39.
In Europe, markets sold off as investors took profits after last week’s gains. Britain’s FTSE 100 was down 1.2 % to 4,044.22, Germany’s DAX fell 2.5 % to 4,561.76 and France’s CAC 40 faltered 2.1 % to 3,026.19.
