Asian Futures Rise Amid S&P 500 Record While Oil Extends Decline

Futures on indexes from Japan to Australia climbed as growth in U.S. manufacturing propelled the Standard & Poor™s 500 Index to a record. The yen held near a 3 1/2-week low versus the dollar while oil extended declines.Nikkei 225 Stock Average futures rose 0.6 percent to 14,900 in Chicago as contracts on Australia™s S&P/ASX 200 Index and gauges in Hong Kong and South Korea added at least 0.1 percent. Futures on the S&P 500...

S&P 500 Rises to Record as Consumer, Tech Shares Rally Amid Data

U.S. stocks rose, as consumer and technology shares pushed the Standard & Poor™s 500 Index to an all-time high, after an increase in a manufacturing index boosted optimism the economy withstood severe winter weather.Cisco Systems Inc. jumped 3.9 percent, the most since May, to lead technology shares higher. Celgene Corp. rallied 5 percent to pace gains among biotechnology stocks...

Gold Posts Longest Slump Since November Amid U.S. Equity Rally

Gold posted the longest slump in more than four months as U.S. stocks rose to a record, crimping demand for the precious metal as a haven asset. The Standard & Poor™s 500 Index of shares has climbed 20 percent in the past year, reaching an all-time high today. U.S. manufacturing expanded at a faster pace in March, a private report showed. German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday...

U.S. Stocks Rise on Economy Optimism as Manufacturing Data Gains

U.S. stocks rose, with the Standard & Poor™s 500 Index rising to an intraday record, as consumer and technology shares rallied and an increase in a manufacturing index boosted optimism the economy withstood severe winter weather.Cisco Systems Inc. jumped 2.5 percent to lead technology shares higher. Celgene Corp. rallied 3.4 percent to pace gains among biotechnology stocks after...

European Stocks Advance as U.S. Manufacturing Output Accelerates

European stocks advanced, after the Stoxx Europe 600 Index declined last month, as a report showed manufacturing in the U.S. expanded at a faster pace in March. Alstom SA jumped the most since January 2012 after agreeing to sell a unit to Triton. Metso Oyj soared 19 percent after Weir Group Plc proposed a merger with the Finnish maker of rock crushers. ICAP Plc rose 2.6 percent...