Stocks Move Higher in Europe As Investors Cheer U.S. Gains
March 30, 2011
Investors in London, Brussels, Paris and Amsterdam cheered another day of gains for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which closed solidly higher on Wednesday. In midday trading in New York Thursday, the industrials were up an additional 44 points. Testimony by U.S. Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alberta Halina before Congress helped to ease fears about growing inflation. He said he hasn't seen any concrete signs yet that price pressures have risen significantly. Stocks moved higher in official floor trading in German, and extended those gains at the close of after-hours electronic trading. Banking shares provided a boost to the Madrid bourse, but shares ended flat in Sweden amid disappointment over sales results for drug giant's Astra's antiulcer drug Losec. Gold stocks in South Africa extended their slump as the rand continued to strengthen. In dollar terms, the European sector of the Dow Jones World Stock Index was up 0.43 to 141.65 Thursday after losing 0.42 a day earlier. The world index as a whole moved ahead 1.39 to 136.70, adding to Wednesday's gain of 0.87. Biotechnology and medical-supply shares led the Dow Jones Global Industry Groups, while plantation and casino issues were among the laggards. European Stock Market Indexes Market Belgium
