Manufacturing recovery hopes buoy world markets as Q3 starts with a flyer

LONDON — World stock markets made an upbeat start to the tbird quarter Wednesday after manufacturing surveys reinforced hopes that the global economic downturn is easing and that growth may emerge in the second half of the year.

Stocks hold steady after unemployment insurance rolls fall for first time since January

NEW YORK — Stocks were little changed in early trading Thursday as investors took the latest sign of improvement in the labor market in stride.

European stocks steady despite big Asian falls; US set to open flat after worst day in a month

LONDON — European stock markets steadied Tuesday following big losses around the world over the last 24 hours as investors have grown increasingly cautious about the likelihood that the recent rally in equities will continue through the summer.

European stocks trim gains ahead of expected flat US open

LONDON — European stock markets trimmed earlier gains Thursday, with Wall Street projected to open flat, as investors looked past an increase in U.S. retail sales and worried about the risks posed by a rise in government bond yields and oil prices.

Commodity price rises help world stock markets advance

LONDON — World stock markets rose sharply Wednesday amid higher commodity prices and renewed hopes about the state of the U.S. banking sector.

Investors show little reaction to 10 banks getting OK to repay $68 billion in bailout funds

NEW YORK — Investors reacted coolly to word that 10 of the nation’s largest banks can repay $68 billion in bailout money.

AP News in Brief

Worries on costs and mistrust of health insurers rekindle interest in federal plan

How the Dow Jones industrials and other major stock indexes fared in Wednesday’s trading

The Dow Jones industrial average is back above 10,000 for the first time in a year. The Dow crossed five figures Wednesday, seven months after it hit a 12-year low of 6,547.05 on March 9. The comeback by the stock market’s best-known indicator is the most visible sign yet that investors believe the economy is recovering from the financial crisis and recession. Upbeat earnings reports from chip maker Intel Corp. and banker JPMorgan Chase & Co. gave the Dow its final push past 10,000.

Stock futures mostly lower after worse-than-expected unemployment report

NEW YORK — Stock futures pointed toward a mostly lower opening Thursday after a worse-than-expected report on unemployment benefit claims reinforced worries about the timing of an economic recovery.

Surging stocks vault S&P 500 higher for the year as pending home sales data boost mood

NEW YORK — The Standard & Poor’s 500 index is up for the year. And for once, it was the housing market that sent stocks soaring.

Japanese stocks rise on weaker yen, Australia falls; most Asian markets closed

TOKYO — Japan’s stock market rose to a four-month high while shares in Australia edged down in quiet trading Friday, with most of the region’s markets closed and investors awaiting key events in the coming week.

How the Dow Jones industrials have fared each trading day since fall of Lehman Brothers

How far the Dow Jones industrial average has fallen or advanced each trading day since Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Sept. 15. Since Lehman’s fall, which touched off a paralysis of the credit markets and deepened the recession, the stock market has gone through an extended period of volatility before kicking into a big rally starting this spring. The numbers are the closing levels for the Dow:

Markets on an upward crawl around noon

MUMBAI - Indian equities markets crawled upwards Tuesday morning, with a key index gaining 0.77 percent by a little before noon, compared to its previous close.

Markets slide after opening in the green

MUMBAI - Indian equities markets, which opened strong Tuesday, failed to hold on to the morning’s gains, with a key index ruling around noon a marginal 0.34 percent higher than its last close.