European stocks traded higher on Monday, with the STOXX 50 up 1.4% and the STOXX 600 gaining 1.1%, tracking global optimism that the longest US government shutdown may soon end. Sentiment improved after eight Democrats joined nearly all Republican senators to advance a bipartisan deal, passed 60–40, that would reopen the federal government and fund it through the end of January. Corporate news also lifted sentiment. Novo Nordisk rose 2.7% after dropping its bid for weight-loss drugmaker Metsera. ASML (+2.7%), LVMH (+1.4%), SAP (+1.7%), and Siemens (+2.5%) posted strong gains, while Diageo...
Asia-Pacific markets are set for a mixed open on Friday, after Wall Street benchmarks the Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 posted their worst day in nearly two months on a downbeat Microsoft earnings forecast and MetaTrader results. Traders await a raft of economic data from the region, including Australia's third-quarter producer price index reading and China's Caixin manufacturing purchasing managers' index for October. Japan's Nikkei 225 appears set for a weaker open, with futures in Chicago at 38,470 and its Osaka counterpart at 38,370 against the index's last close of...