International stock indices rose on Monday, February 6, 2012 after U.S. unemployment fell to its lowest in three years, suggesting a stronger recovery in the world's No. 1 economy that could benefit the region's exporters. Some of the rising indices are:
- Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 1.1% to 8,931.81
- Hong Kong's Hang Sang which rose .5% to 20,862.18
- Australia's S&P ASX/200 added 1.1% to 4,295.20
This coming Friday we will receive reports about consumer sentiment and the nation's trade balance. We will also receive earnings reports from DOW stocks Coca Cola, Cisco and Disney. We anxiously await these reports to see where the market will trend.
As we move through the coming weeks we should keep an eye on a few other news items:
- Debt crisis in Europe: Greece national debt is in need of a write down and another bailout.
- China's inflation and trade balance. Although it looks like China's inflation has peaked, the International Monetary Fund has cut the forecast of China's economic growth to 8.25% from the 9% projected in September.
