Traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. — Reuters pic
Hopes that the top Wall Street banks will announce a decent set of third-quarter earnings this week that show business was not as weak as feared also helped, while excitement over an expected debut of Apple Inc's latest iPhone today buoyed technology stocks. The S&P 500 jumped 57 points, or 1.64 per cent, to 3,534.22, within spitting distance of its record high of 3,580.84 struck on September 2. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 250 points, or 0.88 per cent, to 28,837.52.
MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe climbed 1.43 per cent to 592.96, a level not seen since September 2, while European stocks rose 0.72 per cent to 373.00. The euro edged 0.1 per cent lower to US$1.1812 and the yen firmed 0.26 per cent to 105.33 per dollar.Oil prices also slipped after a force majeure at Libya's largest oilfield lifted, a Norwegian strike affecting production ended and US producers began restoring output after Hurricane Delta.