US Stocks ended mostly higher Monday as investors set aside some worries about the fallout from Goldman Sachs and scooped up financial, consumer and energy stocks.
The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) added 73 points, or 0.6%, after having been down by as much as 41 points earlier. The S&P 500 index (SPX) gained 5 points, or 0.5%. The Nasdaq composite (COMP) ended just below unchanged.
Analyst said "I certainly think a pullback is expected and would be reasonable here, but as I look out longer term, I can see the market higher. The Dow is at an 18-month high and we have a number of areas that have rebounded to those levels, corporate profits are increasing and we're still in a low-interest rate environment. These factors should continue to move the market higher."
In London, the benchmark FTSE 100 index closed down 0.28 per cent, by 16.05 points, at 5,727.91.
FRANKFURT - The German DAX dropped 0.30 per cent, or 18.46 points, to 6,162.44.
PARIS - The CAC 40 index shed 16.16 points, or 0.41 per cent, to 3,970.47.
Oil prices fell again on Monday on worries that fraud charges against Goldman Sachs could prompt a retreat from energy commodities to more safe-haven investments.
Traders also worried that disruption to air travel from the Icelandic volcano would reduce demand for jet fuel and could hamper the global economic recovery.
Benchmark crude for June delivery tumbled $US1.54 to settle at $US83.13 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
The Australian stock market likely to open stronger following a mostly positive lead from Wall Street overnight.
At 0717 AEST on the Sydney Futures Exchange, the June share price index contract was 33 points higher at 4,947 points.
In economics news on Tuesday, the Reserve Bank of Australia is to release the minutes of its April 6 monetary policy meeting.
GOLD down $1.10 to US$1,135.80 an ounce SILVER up 5.6c to US$ 17.731 an ounce COPPER down 1.75c at US$3.4970 a pound
