Wellington - The New Zealand stock market - the first to open and close every day - finished down again Monday after rallying in nervous trading.

The benchmark NZX 50 index, which slumped 4.7 per cent to 2,805.31 on Friday, ended the day Monday 0.82 per cent lower on 2,782.39.

Trading began the day in negative territory but the index recovered to be up by more than 1 per cent by noon before falling again.

The supportive words from the finance minister and central bank (RBI) and the strong movement in Asian and European stock markets keep the market high up in the positive territory this afternoon.

The stocks are trading strongly on the back of continued buying activity seen across sectors including banking, consumer goods, metal, power and realty. 

Indian stock markets belled the day positively, after closing the last week at 10,527.85, down 800.51 points, on Friday (Oct 10). 

Today, the 30-share index, BSE Sensex opened at 10,817.68 after gaining 289.83 points. 

Jakarta - Indonesia's stock exchange resumed trading on Monday following a three-day halt after the bourse cut the limit on stock-price movements and the government eased buyback rules to help revive investor confidence.

The Indonesia Stock Exchange said its benchmark composite index fell 85.43 points, or 5.88 per cent, to 1,366.24 about an hour after it reopened. The IDX opens its morning session at 9:30 am (0230 GMT).

Taipei - Taiwan stocks plunged more than 3 per cent Monday despite government measures to stabilize the stock market amid global jitters.

Two hours into trading, the TAIEX index had fallen 156.22 points, or 3.04 per cent, to 4,974.71.

The plunge occurred despite the Taiwan government's announcement of three measures to shore up the stock market.

Wellington - The New Zealand stock market - the first to open in the world every day - rose slightly Monday morning after opening down in nervous early trading.

The benchmark NZX 50 index, which slumped 4.7 per cent to 2,805.31 on Friday, started the day down 0.74 per cent but reversed early losses by noon to be up 1.15 per cent at 2,837 and rising.

Sydney - Australian stocks rallied at the bell on Monday after a horror trading session at the end of last week saw them slip to a five-year low.

In early trading, the ASX 200 gained 221 points, or 5.5 per cent, to 4,182 to break the 4,000 barrier.

Commsec economist Craig James said bargain hunting would buoy the market following Friday's 8.3-per-cent crash, the biggest drop since 1987.