Bhaskar Prasad

European markets rose Tuesday as investor confidence was lifted by hopes that Spain will soon apply for a bailout and trigger the European Central Bank’s new bond buying plan.

Most of the Asian stocks gained Tuesday with investor sentiment turning positive as a rise in the U.S. retail sales indicated an improvement in consumer confidence in the world’s largest economy.

The U.S. stock index futures point to a higher open Monday ahead of the Commerce Department's retail sales report and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Empire State Manufacturing Survey.

European markets rose Monday as investor confidence was lifted by hopes that after the European Union Council meeting on 18-19 October in Brussels, Spain will seek bailout funds and Greece will shortly receive the required rescue package needed to overcome the financial instability it is facing.

The rate of inflation in China slowed down in September from the previous month, showing signs of a gradual decline in price pressure to make room for monetary easing.

Most of the Asian stocks fell Monday as investor sentiment was weighed down by concerns of weakening global economy, which undermined the data from China showing lowering of inflation rate in September

The Bank of Korea Thursday announced its decision to cut the policy rate by 25 basis points to 2.75 percent but the market participants feel that additional stimulus measures are urgently needed to give a boost to the country's weakening economy.

Most of the Asian markets fell in the week as investor sentiment turned negative with the increasing concerns about the weakening global economy and the faltering growth prospects.

The U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open Friday ahead of the Labor Department's Producer Price Index and the Treasury Department’s Federal budget report.

Most of the Asian stocks rose Friday with investor sentiment turning positive as a drop in the U.S. jobless claims indicated an improvement in the labor market in the world’s largest economy.

The U.S. stock index futures point to a slightly higher open Thursday ahead of the Labor Department's weekly jobless claims data and the Bureau of Economic Analysis's trade deficit report.

Most of the European markets fell Thursday as investor sentiment turned negative amid the revived concerns about the debt crisis affecting the euro zone as the economic and financial instability faced by Spain continued to deepen.

Greece will need two more years for meeting the fiscal targets, according to International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde.

Japan’s core machinery orders fell in August compared to that in the previous month showing that there is an urgent need to take additional measures for enhancing the growth potential of the economy.

The U.S. stock index futures point to a flat open Wednesday as investor sentiment continues to be weighed down by concerns of debt crisis in the euro zone and weakening growth in China affecting the global economy.

European markets fell Wednesday as investor sentiment turned negative due to renewed concerns about the debt burden faced by the euro zone and weakening global economic growth.

Asian markets fell Wednesday as investor sentiment was weighed down by the concerns that China’s economic slowdown would impair the growth of the global economy.

The U.S. stock index futures point to a lower open Tuesday as investor sentiment continue to be weighed down by concerns over the declining global growth rate.

European markets rose Tuesday as investor sentiment turned positive with hopes that Greece will shortly receive the required bailout fund needed to overcome the financial instability it is facing.

Most of the Asian markets rose Tuesday though investor optimism about stimulus measures reviving the global economy was undermined after the International Monetary Fund raised concerns about the global economic growth.

European markets fell Monday as investor sentiment turned negative with the revival of concerns over the debt crisis affecting the euro zone following the continuing financial instability in Greece and the delay in Spain asking for a bailout officially.

The HSBC Purchasing Manager's Index released Monday showed that China's services activity improved in September after the fall in August.

Asian markets fell Monday as investors remained watchful having concerns about the revival of the global economic growth in spite of the stimulus measures announced last month by policy maker in the U.S. and Europe.

With the Bank of Japan deciding to keep its monetary policy unchanged, investors feel that there is an urgent need to take measures for enhancing the growth potential of the economy.

Asian markets remained mixed in the week as indications of the faltering economic growth in Japan and China continued to weigh down the investor confidence.

The U.S. stock index futures point to a slightly higher open Friday ahead of the Bureau of Labor Statistics' nonfarm payrolls report and unemployment report.

European markets rose Friday as investor sentiment turned positive after the European Central Bank confirmed in its policy meeting at Ljubljana, Slovenia, Thursday that it was ready to commence its bond-buying program which is aimed at reducing the debt burden faced by the euro zone.

Asian markets rose Friday as investor sentiment turned positive with hopes that the U.S. jobs data will be encouraging and the Bank of Japan will announce a policy to support the global economic growth.

The U.S. stock index futures point to a higher open Thursday as market sentiment was buoyed by the optimism that the economy is strengthening and monetary easing measures will further bolster the economic growth momentum.