STOCK MARKETS END THE WEEK ON A BULLISH NOTE

The US Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 68.73 points higher on Friday at 8,281.22 points after a rebound on Thursday. Prior to that, the market experienced 6 days of falling prices. Before the US market opens, the rest of the markets have also rebounded from a series of down days.

Japan's Nikkei closed 206.81 (2.6%) higher at 8,230.15 points, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index inches up 12.55 points at 13,255.51, Singapore's Straits Times Index closed 1.5% higher at 1,730.45 points, Australia's All ordinaries closed at 3,494.90, 18.1 points higher. London's FTSE closed 0.63% higher at 4,147.06 points. France's CAC40 index climbed 0.70% higher at 3,016.75 points. Kuala Lumpur's Composite Index however fell 1 point to close at 896.47.



US Wall street is looking forward this week to big fourth quarter earnings from corporates like Google, United Airways, General electric, Microsoft, Johnson&Johnson and hundreds of others. However, the week is shortened with markets closed today for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. On Tuesday attention will be focused to Washington with the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.

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