US markets soar on housing data and German business index

21 Dec 2011 Evaluate

The US markets surged on Tuesday, recording the indexes’ best day so far this month, as sentiments about the global economy got a boost from a jump in the nation’s housing starts, improving German business data and a better Spanish bond auction. Investors reacted strongly after seasonally annual housing starts in November rose 9% from October as builders’ ramp up apartment housing. The apartment construction surged 30% in the month from a year ago as families prefer to rent than own. US builders broke ground in November on the most houses in over a year, a sign that the market is stabilizing heading into 2012.

Investors also got a burst of good news from Europe, where the heavy debt loads and surging borrowing costs of several euro-zone members have raised the prospect of a global recession. The Ifo Institute’s index of German business confidence edged higher in December, beating analysts’ expectations for the largest European economy. The Ifo institute’s business climate index was based on a survey of 7,000 executives which increased to 107.2 from 106.6 in November. Also, Spain was able to sell short-term debt at a far lower yield than in the prior month’s auction, and yields on its 10-year bonds trading in the secondary market also pulled back to just over 5%.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 337.32 points, or 2.87 percent, to 12,103.60. The Standard and Poor’s 500 closed higher by 35.95 points, or 2.98 percent, to 1,241.30, while the Nasdaq composite gained 80.59 points, or 3.19 percent, to 2,603.73.

The Indian ADRs traded on an encouraging note on Tuesday, Infosys Technologies was up 2.07%, HDFC Bank was up by 0.88%, ICICI Bank was up by 0.81% and Tata Motors was up by 0.45%. On the flip side, MTNL was down by 0.02%.

© 2025 The Alchemists Ark Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved. MoneyWorks4Me ® is a registered trademark of The Alchemists Ark Pvt. Ltd.

×