Asian Stocks Rise From Three-Week Low, Following U.S. Higher

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Asian stocks gained, with a regional gauge rising from a three-week low, as investors weighed corporate earnings and after U.S. equities advanced.

Indeks MSCI Asia Pacific Excluding Japan Index added 0.1 percent to 476.32 as of 9:02 a.m. in Seoul. Major U.S. indexes recovered in the last hour of trading yesterday, paring losses sparked by the U.S. and European Union levying new sanctions against Russia. The Federal Reserve will probably announce a fourth straight stimulus cut at the conclusion of a two-day meeting tomorrow, economists polled by Bloomberg say.

South Korea��s Kospi index rose 0.3 percent, with Samsung Electronics Co. advancing 0.3 percent after posting first-quarter profit that beat analyst estimates. Australia��s S&P/ASX 200 Index was little changed and New Zealand��s NZX 50 Index added 0.4 percent. Markets in Japan are closed for a holiday, while those in China and Hong Kong have yet to open.

The MSCI Asia Pacific excluding Japan Index yesterday traded at 12.3 times estimated earnings, compared with 15.9 for the Standard & Poor��s 500 Index, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Copy Source: Bloomberg

U.S. Stocks Advance as Selloff in Internet

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U.S. stocks rose, with the Standard & Poor��s 500 Index erasing an earlier slide as Internet and smaller companies pulled back from a selloff amid optimism over merger activity.

The S&P 500 rose 0.3 percent to 1,869.42 at 4 p.m. in New York, erasing an earlier loss of 0.7 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 86.76 points, or 0.5 percent, to 16,448.22. The Nasdaq Composite Index slipped less than 0.1 percent, after tumbling as much as 1.5 percent, and the Russell 2000 Index of smaller companies slid 0.5 percent.

U.S. equities began higher as large companies rallied on optimism about merger activity. Stocks turned lower as the U.S. and European Union imposed new sanctions on Russia, while selling in Internet and small-cap stocks spread to the broader market. Major indexes recovered in the afternoon, turning positive during the final hour of trading.

The Nasdaq Composite declined 0.5 percent last week, including a 1.8 percent tumble on April 25, as disappointing results from Amazon.com Inc. triggered a selloff in technology shares and tensions over Ukraine intensified. The technology-heavy gauge has fallen in four of the past five weeks amid concern valuations have outpaced estimates for earnings growth. Nasdaq companies trade at 34 times reported earnings, about double the level of S&P 500 members.

The frequency of selloffs has increased even as technology makers are forecast to post the second-fastest profit growth in the S&P 500 this year and members of the Nasdaq gauge are beating analyst estimates by almost 10 percent this earnings season.

Increases among larger stocks helped push technology companies in the S&P 500 higher as a group. Microsoft surged 2.4 percent to $40.87 and Apple climbed 3.9 percent to $594.25 to extend its three-day rally to 13 percent, the most since 2009. International Business Machines Corp. added 1.9 percent to $193.22.

The Dow Jones Internet Index fell 1.9 percent, extending a 4.1 percent decline on April 25. The index has dropped 18 percent from a 13-year high on March 5. Only five of 41 members in the gauge rose today.

Source : Bloomberg

U.S. Stocks Fluctuate as Internet Shares Slump

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U.S. stocks fluctuated, with a selloff in Internet and smaller companies extending to a second day, while Treasuries fell for the first time in a week before Federal Reserve policy makers begin a two-day meeting tomorrow.

The Nasdaq 100 Index lost 0.3 percent at 12:43 p.m. in New York, as Amazon.com Inc. and Netflix Inc. dropped at least 4.5 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.4 percent, buoyed by deal activity. Pfizer Inc. rallied 2.8 percent after confirming it had made a bid for AstraZeneca Plc, Britain��s second-biggest pharmaceutical company. The Russell 2000 Index of small companies sank 1.1 percent. The yield on 10-year Treasury notes rose three basis points to 2.70 percent. Oil reversed gains and gold declined.

Pfizer proposed buying AstraZeneca for about 58.8 billion pounds ($98.7 billion) and is still interested in a deal after the U.K. company spurned the offer, helping fuel speculation of more mergers and acquisitions. The U.S. imposed new sanctions on more individuals close to the Russian leader, while the European Union added names to its list of sanctioned persons. Russian stocks, bonds and the ruble rallied as the U.S. sanctions omitted the country��s largest lenders.

Copy Source : Bloomberg

European Stocks Advance Amid M&A Deals

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European stocks advanced as companies from AstraZeneca Plc to Bayer AG rose amid an increase in mergers-and-acquisitions activity, offsetting new U.S. sanctions against Russian individuals and companies.

AstraZeneca jumped 14 percent to a record after Pfizer Inc. confirmed its interest in taking over the U.K. drugmaker for almost $99 billion. Bayer climbed 3.3 percent after it posted first-quarter profit that beat estimates and as it was said to explore a sale of its plastics unit. BP Plc, which holds a stake in OAO Rosneft, fell 1 percent as the Russian company��s chief executive officer came under U.S. sanctions. Siemens AG slipped 2.5 percent after it was said to have made an offer for Alstom SA to beat a bid from General Electric Co.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index added 0.2 percent to 334.13 at the close. The benchmark gauge earlier erased an increase of as much as 0.6 percent after the U.S. Treasury announced Russian sanctions. The Stoxx 600 rose 0.3 percent last week amid increased deals activity among drug companies.

National benchmark indexes advanced in 12 of the 18 western-European markets today. France��s CAC 40 gained 0.4 percent and Germany��s DAX rose 0.5 percent. The U.K.��s FTSE 100 increased 0.2 percent.

Source : Bloomberg

Saham A.S. Dibuka Berfluktuasi

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Saham-saham A.S. dibuka berfluktuasi, setelah indeks Nasdaq Composite mengalami pelemahan terbesar dalam dua pekan pada 25 April, setelah meningkatnya aktivitas merger dan akuisisi mengimbangi sanksi Amerika terhadap Rusia atas Ukraina.

Saham Pfizer Inc. naik 3.1 persen setelah mengajukan pembelian untuk AstraZeneca Plc sekitar 85 miliar pounsterling (US$ 98.7 miliar). Saham General Electric Co. naik 0.7 persen setelah Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jeffrey Immelt bertemu dengan Presiden Perancis atas penawaran perusahaan General Electric Co. untuk Alstom SA. Saham Bank of America Corp. turun 4.7 persen setelah mengumumkan akan menangguhkan rencana pembelian kembali (buyback) dan kenaikan deviden akibat adanya kesalahan dalam perencanaan modal.

Indeks S&P 500 naik 0.2 persen ke level 1,866.67 pada 9.44 pagi di New York. Dow Jones Industrial Average naik 68.78 poin, atau 0.4 persen, ke level 16,430.24. Nasdaq Composite turun 0.1 persen.

Indeks ekuitas turun pada pekan lalu, meningkatkan gain di sesi terakhir, setelah mengecewakannya hasil dari Amazon.com Inc yang memicu aksi jual pada saham-saham teknologi dan meningkatnya ketegangan di Ukraina.(frk)

Sumber : Bloomberg