by Elaine Frei

London’s markets were higher on the session Monday. The FTSE 100 adding 1.14 percent to 6,014.8 and the FTSE 250 gaining 0.78 percent to 10,244.5. Markets were higher in the rest of Europe as well. The pan-European FTSE Eurofirst 300 was up 0.83 percent to 1,329.37. The IBEX added 0.53 percent to 13,919.6 while the Dax was 0.85 percent higher to 6,821.03 and the CAC-40 gained 0.89 percent to 4,944.6.

Gains in commodity-related shares lifted Tokyo’s equities markets on Monday. The Nikkei 225 was up 1.18 percent to 13,450.23 while the Topix index was 1.29 percent higher to 1,305.63 and the Mothers market added 2.21 percent to 628.43.

Elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region, markets saw gains on the same rising commodities prices that helped Tokyo’s markets. In Australia, the S&P/ASX200 was up 0.1 percent to 5,625 while the Sydney Ordinaries gained 0.36 percent to 5,684.1. The Kospi index was 0.4 percent higher to 1,773.56 in South Korea. The Strait Times Index added 0.84 percent to 3,181.92 while the Hang Seng gained 1.29 percent to 24,578.76. Taiwan’s Taiex index was up 1.55 percent to 8,729.79, the Sensex added 2.7 percent to 15,757.08 in India, and the Shanghai Composite gained 4.45 percent to 3,599.62.

The New York markets were higher in mid-afternoon trade. The Dow was up 0.48 percent to 12,670.24 while the Nasdaq Composite had added 0.19 percent to 2,375.37 and the S&P 400 gained 0.63 percent to 1,379.02 at nearly 2:30 p.m.

Crude oil and metals prices were higher, while grains prices declined.

The yen and the Swiss franc both declined on the session as gains in equities sent investors in search of more risk.

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