Expectations for more accommodating monetary policy has led to outsized gains in Asia and Europe
Asian indexes
followed Wall Street's lead and boomed higher today, as stabilizing crude prices and anticipation of additional government stimulus led to a rare bout of buying. Aside from
dovish comments from European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi on Thursday, traders are also eyeing potential monetary easing from the Bank of Japan next week, and assurances from Beijing that it will "look after" investors. As such, Japan's Nikkei rose 5.9%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng closed 2.9% higher, and China's Shanghai Composite added 1.3%. In South Korea, the Kospi finished with a 2.1% win.
European stock markets are also on the rise at midday, thanks to Draghi's comments. Energy names are among the top performers amid oil's rebound, though almost all sectors were in the green at last check. France's CAC 40 was last seen leading the way with a 3.4% advance. London's FTSE 100, meanwhile, was up 2.3%, with Germany's DAX adding 2.2%.
Sign up now for Schaeffer's Market Recap to get all the day's big stock movers, must-know technical levels, and top economic stories straight to your inbox.