1 | HONG KONG (AP) " World stock markets were mostly higher Monday as the yuan steadied and Greece inched closer to receiving its latest bailout. |
2 | KEEPING SCORE: European stocks opened higher, with France's CAC 40 up 0.5 percent to 4,982.93, while Germany's DAX gained 0.4 percent to 11,032.42. |
3 | Britain's FTSE 100 was flat at 6,549.97. |
4 | U.S. stocks were poised to open slightly lower, with Dow futures down less than 0.1 percent to 17,432.00. |
5 | Broader S&P 500 futures dipped 0.1 percent to 2,088.00. |
6 | GREEK CRISIS: European finance ministers on Friday approved the first 26 billion euros ($29 billion) that Greece needs to rebuild its economy. |
7 | German lawmakers will decide on the package on Wednesday in a special parliamentary session, at which dozens of lawmakers from German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc are expected to oppose it. |
8 | YUAN STEADIES: Chinese authorities raised by a smidgen the daily level for the country's currency, which is allowed to rise or fall by 2 percent against the dollar each day in the spot markets. |
9 | Monday's rate fix further calmed Asian markets after Beijing last week devalued the yuan, which resulted in the currency weakening as much as 3 percent. |
10 | JAPAN ECONOMY: The Nikkei was lifted after government data showed Asia's second-biggest economy contracted 1.6 percent in the April-June quarter on bad weather and slowing China demand, raising hopes of fresh stimulus. |
11 | Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has championed a huge monetary easing program aimed at kick-starting economic growth, but analysts say the poor results so far suggest that the central bank may pump in even more money in the months to come, a move that would also support the stock market. |
12 | ANALYST VIEW: "These numbers are in no way positive as the Japanese economy teeters on the brink of full contraction," said Stephen Innes, senior foreign exchange trader at OANDA. |
13 | "The data continues to lend support for additional quantitative easing in Japan." |
14 | BLAST FALLOUT: Shares of Tianjin Port Development Holdings tumbled 13 percent as worries deepened over last week's huge explosions at the busy Chinese port city. |
15 | The blasts, which originated at a warehouse storing more hazardous material than permitted, left at least 114 people dead and 70 missing. |
16 | ASIA'S DAY: Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index rose 0.5 percent to close at 20,620.26, while South Korea's Kospi slipped 0.8 percent to 1,968.52. |
17 | Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.7 percent to 23,814.65 and the Shanghai Composite Index in mainland China added 0.7 percent to 3,993.67. |
18 | Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.2 percent to 5,367.70. |
19 | ENERGY: U.S. crude oil fell 68 cents to $41.82 in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. |
20 | The contract rose 27 cents Friday to close at $42.50. |
21 | Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils used by many U.S. refineries, fell 58 cents to $48.61 in London. |
22 | CURRENCIES: The dollar rose to 124.47 yen from 124.32 in late trading Friday. |
23 | The euro slipped to $1.1101 to $1.1111. |