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By David Gaffen NEW YORK (Reuters) – World equity markets tested record highs on Friday as hopes of more easy money from top central banks pushed Japan’s Nikkei index past 20,000 points for the first time in 15 years. The dollar added to recent gains, moving it toward parity with the euro, boosted by favorable Read More

By Jonathan Cable LONDON (Reuters) – The European Central Bank was “about right” in claiming its trillion-euro quantitative easing programme was having a positive impact before it had even begun, according to three quarters of economists polled by Reuters this week. Minutes from the Governing Council’s March meeting showed members “generally shared the assessment” that Read More

European equities closed higher on Thursday, as investors reacted to fresh economic data and auto stocks posted strong gains. The pan-European Euro Stoxx 600 Index (^STOXX) closed over 1 percent higher as new figures late Wednesday showed impressive gains in auto sales for the European market. This helped major car manufacturers post gains on Thursday. Read More

When it comes to stocks, America is the big loser this year. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) is up just 1.6 percent through Thursday’s close, making it the worst among major market indexes for 2015. In Asia, India’s BSE Sensex is up 5 percent, Japan’s Nikkei (CBOE:.NKXQ) has risen 14 percent and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Read More

By Lisa Twaronite and Shinichi Saoshiro TOKYO (Reuters) – Asian stocks rose on Thursday, extending the previous session’s gains, while the dollar drew support from minutes of the Federal Reserve’s last meeting showing the U.S. central bank was still on course to hike interest rates this year. Financial spreadbetters expected Britain’s FTSE 100 <.FTSE> to Read More

European equities closed mostly lower on Wednesday, despite a surge in energy stocks after Royal Dutch Shell (London Stock Exchange: RDSA-GB) launched a bid for U.K.-listed BG Group (London Stock Exchange: BG.-GB). The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 (FTSE International: .FTEU3) closed flat, having touched an eight year-high earlier in the session after oil and gas firms Read More

By Lionel Laurent and Francesco Canepa LONDON (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell’s $ 70 billion (47 billion pounds) bid for energy firm BG Group lifted Britain’s top share index on Wednesday, helping it outperform its continental peers. The FTSE 100 <.FTSE> was up 0.5 percent at 6,998.71 points by 1103 GMT, while Germany’s DAX <.GDAXI> Read More

By Shinichi Saoshiro TOKYO (Reuters) – Asian stocks rose on Tuesday, following a positive lead from Wall Street, while the dollar held onto its gains after rebounding against the euro and yen on higher U.S. Treasury yields. Spreadbetters saw the upward momentum for equities continuing into Europe, forecasting a higher open for Britain’s FTSE <.FTSE>, Read More