New York - US stock indices made gains Wednesday after government figures showed demand is rising for long-lasting goods and housing.
Durable goods orders increased 3.4 per cent in February, and purchases of new homes jumped 4.7 per cent, adding to a spate of slightly more positive economic news coming out of the United States in the last week.
The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 89.84 points, or 1.17 per cent, to 7,749.81, rallying during the final hour from a more than 100-point drop earlier in the afternoon.
Tokyo - Tokyo stocks fell in early trading on Wednesday on profit-taking, breaking a two-day climb.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average dipped by 0.73 per cent, or 61.58 points to 8,426.72 by mid-trading, reversing earlier gains.
The broader Topix index of all first-section issues was almost flat, dropping 0.27 points, or 0.03 per cent, to 812.45.
Traders also reacted to reports that Japan's overseas exports dropped by 49.4 per cent in February year-on-year, with consumer electronics titles contributing most to the slump.
New York - US stocks fell sharply on Tuesday, one day after posting their biggest gains of the year, as the US administration sought new powers to control failing financial firms.
Banking shares, which gained some 18 per cent on Monday, led the market decline amid speculation that Congress will no longer back more money for struggling Wall Street institutions.
Tokyo - Tokyo stocks ended Thursday morning trading higher on a more positive outlook of the US economy.
New York - US stock indices made gains Wednesday after government figures showed demand is rising for long-lasting goods and housing.
Benchmarks were trading on a choppy note with a positive bias ahead of March F&O series expiry and meager performance by the worldwide markets.
New York - US stocks fell sharply on Tuesday, one day after posting their biggest gains of the year, as the US administration sought new powers to control failing financial firms.
Sydney - Australian
