Yen Drops as Abe Delays Sales Tax, Calls Early Vote; Krona Rises

The yen fell against the euro and touched its weakest in more than seven years against the dollar as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called an early election and suspended a planned sales-tax increase. Japans currency slipped against most of its 16 major peers as Abe said he will dissolve parliament on Nov. 21. The euro rallied as German investor confidence rose for the first time in 11 months. Russias ruble strengthened as the tax...

Gold gains as dollar falls in the wake of Japan economic moves

Gold prices jumped Tuesday as the dollar eased against major currencies amid economic and political news, and as equities continued to get stuck in a tight trading range. Gold for December delivery gained $13.60, or 1.2%, to settle at $1,197.10 an ounce. December silver tacked on 12 cents, or 0.7%, to $16.17 an ounce. The dollars fall against major currencies resulted in gold...

Japanese Stocks Rise After Abe Shelves Sales Tax, Calls Election

Japanese stocks rose after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe postponed a planned sales-tax increase, called a snap election and ordered his ministers to start preparing a stimulus package. The Topix index climbed 0.6 percent to 1,402.67 as of 9:01 a.m. in Tokyo after gaining 2.1 percent yesterday. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average advanced 0.4 percent to 17,415.72 today. The yen slipped 0.1 percent...

Asian Stocks Follow U.S. Equities Higher as Abe Calls Election

Most Asian stocks rose after Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called an early election and U.S. equities rallied to all-time highs. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index added 0.1 percent to 140.75 as of 9:05 a.m. in Tokyo, with three shares advancing for each that fell. Japans parliament will be dissolved on Nov. 21, Abe said at a press conference yesterday in Tokyo, without giving an election date. He also delayed for 18 months a second planned...

U.S. Stocks Advance on Economic Optimism as Health-Care Gains

U.S. stocks rose, sending benchmark indexes to all-time highs, as health-care and raw-material companies rallied amid speculation the economy is strong enough to overcome a global slowdown. The Standard & Poors 500 Index rose 0.5 percent to 2,051.81 at 4 p.m. in New York, for its biggest gain since Nov. 5. The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 40.07 points, or 0.2 percent, to 17,687.82. The S&P 500 has rallied to records...