7:30AM Asian markets gain on Thursday, tracking strong US close overnight.
Asian markets finished higher on Thursday. The Nikkei 225 Average finished the day 1.2% higher at 16274.33. Among banking stocks, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group rose 2.1%, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group climbed 3.4% and Mizuho Financial Group ended 1.4% higher. In the auto sector, Toyota gained 1.3% and Honda advanced 2.2%.

The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong rose 1% to close at 18960.48. Advancers included Yue Yuen Industrial Holdings, which rose on news that it agreed to raise its stakes in two units for $6 million. Shares of the world largest sports shoe maker closed 7% higher.

South Korean Kospi Index gained 0.7% to 1432.21. Samsung Electronics gained 1.4% and Hynix Semiconductor rose 0.7%. Brokerage shares rose on a foreign and institutional buying spree on expectations for the broader market next year. Samsung Securities advanced 1.5% and Daewoo Securities jumped 3.4%.

Shanghai Composite Index soared 2.2% to finish at 2099.29. Baoshan Iron finished 5.9% higher. Australian S&P/ASX 200 increased 0.5% to 5482.10. BHP Billiton saw a solid rise of 1.5% and Woodside Petroleum rose 2.9%, both stocks benefiting from higher oil prices.


6:30AM European shares rise in early trading Thursday as oil prices advance.
European markets were higher on Thursday. The U.K. FTSE 100 index advanced 0.3% at 6,100.50, the German DAX Xetra 30 index climbed 0.2% at 6,375.28, and the French CAC-40 index rose 0.1% at 5,388.28.

Advancers

BHP, the biggest mining company in the world, added 2.1%. BHP said yesterday that demand for metals is strong and it may look for takeover targets. Rio Tinto, the third largest, gained 2.3%. Aluminum and zinc prices rose in London today and gold headed for a second straight monthly gain.
Oil companies Royal Dutch Shell and BP rose more than 1%, and shares in mining companies Xstrata and Antofagasta also traded more than 1% higher.

Sportingbet shares rose 4.3% on Thursday, as the online gambling company recovers from an 88% year-to-date share price decline on a ban in taking payments from the United States. Also, Prudential shares rose 1.2% after it was upgraded to buy from hold at Citigroup, saying that by 2010 it is free cash yield will be well above its U.K. peers, at 7.1% compared to 5.5%.

Decliners

Danone shares traded down 1.1% in Paris after a strong recent run. U.K.-headquartered home improvement retailer Kingfisher lost 2.1% after producing sales figures that showed continued weakness in U.K. operations.

Oil and gold

Crude oil for January delivery was at $62.40 a barrel, down 6 cents, in after-hours electronic trading on the NYME. Gold for immediate delivery in London rose as much as $1.73, or 0.3%, to $638.38 an ounce and in early trading was at $637.90.

Currencies

The U.S. dollar fell against other major currencies in European trading Thursday morning, dropping to its lowest level in 14 years against the British pound. The euro was quoted at $1.3190, up from $1.3156 late Wednesday. The British pound traded at $1.9558, up from $1.9462. The dollar bought 116.26 Japanese yen, down from 116.31.