World stocks press higher on corporate deals, stimulus

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

LONDON (AP) -- Global stocks rose Friday, with Japan's market touching a 15-year high and some European indexes pushing further into record territory, on news of more corporate deals and hopes for stimulus in China.

KEEPING SCORE: Germany's DAX index added 1.4 percent to 12,338.18 and France's CAC 40 gained 0.4 percent to 5,231.83. A broader index of European shares, the Stoxx 600, hit a record high for the second day running, gaining 0.6 percent. On Wall Street, the futures for the Standard & Poor's 500 and the Dow Jones industrial average were both up 0.2 percent.

GE DEAL: Investors were focused on the news that GE will sell most of its financial unit, GE Capital, as well as real estate for $23 billion. It aims to focus on its industrial business and said it will start a big share buyback worth $50 billion. Share buybacks tend to bolster a company's share price, but GE said the deals will also result in a charge of about $16 billion in the first quarter. Shares in GE were up 6 percent in pre-market trading.

CHINA DATA: Earlier, sentiment was supported by Chinese data showing consumer inflation remained at 1.4 percent in March, well below the government's official target. That fueled expectations the central bank might launch new stimulus to fend off deflation. Low inflation is a boon to consumers but a bout of potentially damaging deflation could add to fears about the Chinese growth outlook.

FULL story at link.



A man looks at an electronic stock board of a securities firm in Tokyo Friday, April 10, 2015. Japan's Nikkei retreated from the highest level in 15 years on Friday while other markets in the region advanced ahead of key data news from China. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FINANCIAL_MARKETS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[fasttense]

1. The uber rich are having a fine time. The rest of us? Not so much.

The top richest families own most of the stocks in the world. And they have all been saved by our generous bail outs and tax cuts. And all their stock transactions are done and bought without paying a cent of taxes. But everything the rest of us buy we pay taxes on, not so much the uber rich. And they thank you and the RepubliCON party for the free hand outs.

[DeSwiss]

2. The stock market is rigged......

...and it is where only algos, con men and noobs venture in.

- But wise men fear to tread.

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''Gold is a good place to put money these days given its value as a currency outside of the policies conducted by governments.'' ~Alan Greenspan