NEW YORK – U.S. stock futures are rising on improving U.S. economic indicators and the approval in Italy of an austerity plan intended to get the country’s finances under control.

Dow Jones industrial futures are up 0.6 percent at 11,895. The broader S&P 500 futures are up 0.8 percent at 1,221. Nasdaq composite futures are up 0.8 percent at 2,240.25.

Investor sentiment rose after the U.S. government reported on Thursday that the number of people applying for unemployment benefits dropped sharply last week. Positive manufacturing reports also helped.

Futures changed little on Friday after the U.S. government issued a report showing consumer prices stayed flat in November.

In Italy, the lower house of parliament approved a $39 billion austerity package aimed at persuading bond markets that the country can emerge from the widening European debt crisis is expected to pass. The country now sits on a 1.9 trillion euro ($2.5 trillion) powder keg of debt that could spark a global economic recession if a default occurs.

European shares rose in early trading, following gains in Asia. Britain’s FTSE added 0.6 percent to 5,435 and Germany’s DAX inched up 0.1 percent to 5,736.52.

France’s CAC-40 rose 0.1 percent to 3,001.64 despite a report from the national statistics agency predicting a recession in the country over this quarter and the next.

In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index was 0.3 percent higher to close at 8,401.72. South Korea’s Kospi rose 1.2 percent to 1,839.96 and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 1.4 percent to 18,285.39. Benchmarks in Singapore, Taiwan and Indonesia also rose.

Mainland China shares ended a six-session losing streak, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index gaining 2 percent to close at 2,224.84.

Benchmark oil for January delivery was up 26 cents to $94.13 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell $1.08 to finish at $93.87 per barrel on Nymex on Thursday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks jumped about 3 percent on Monday on hopes that fresh proposals may emerge out of Europe to help solve the region's debt crisis.

The rally spread across the board, with all but one issue on the S&P 500 index higher.

Retail stocks were among the top gainers after a trade group said U.S. retailers racked up a record $52.4 billion in sales over the Thanksgiving weekend, a 16.4 percent jump from a year ago.

Efforts heated up on several fronts to ease Europe's sovereign debt crisis. Germany and France stepped up a drive to acquire powers to reject national budgets in the euro zone that breach European Union rules ahead of an EU summit on December 9.

"The mood has changed over the weekend on hopes for progress toward a lasting resolution to the building debt crisis," said Andrew Wilkinson, chief economic strategist at Miller Tabak & Co in New York.

"Investors seem happy enough to take risks despite the fact that little has been substantiated this morning."

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) jumped 321.96 points, or 2.87 percent, at 11,553.74. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) put on 37.82 points, or 3.26 percent, at 1,196.49. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) rose 88.07 points, or 3.61 percent, at 2,529.58.

Sentiment was also boosted after an Italian newspaper report suggested the International Monetary Fund was preparing a rescue plan for Italy worth up to 600 billion euros. The IMF denied the report.

Best Buy Co Inc (BBY.N) rose 3.8 percent to $26.61 and Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N) was up 1 percent to $57.50.

Materials stocks were advanced on the back of higher commodities prices. Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc (FCX.N) jumped 7 percent to $36.14, and Alcoa Inc (AA.N) rose 5.6 percent to $9.45.

But some analysts saw any gains as a technical rebound as Wall Street came off its worst week in two months.

"An oversold trading opportunity is likely pending this week, given short-term indicators are increasingly oversold, but the longer-term technical background is increasingly at risk," said Robert Sluymer, analyst at RBC Capital Markets in New York.

(Reporting by Angela Moon; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Wall Street posted its third straight week of gains on Friday, lifted by optimism ahead of this weekend's summit of European leaders and strong earnings from blue-chip stocks.

Based on the latest available data, the Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) was up 267.62 points, or 2.32 percent, at 11,809.40. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) was up 22.98 points, or 1.89 percent, at 1,238.37. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) was up 38.84 points, or 1.49 percent, at 2,637.46.

For the week, the Dow was up 1.3 percent, the S&P 500 was up 1.1 percent and the Nasdaq was down 1.1 percent.

(Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by Kenneth Barry)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday as Europe's progress toward bolstering its financial rescue fund brought more battle-weary investors back into the market.

Momentum buying was partly in play, analysts said, as investors tried to latch on, or catch up with, what they hoped was a lasting rally, which has been a rare trend this year.

The S&P 500 is up about 12 percent from its intraday low hit last week on Tuesday and had its largest seven-day rally since March 2009. The Dow briefly bounced back into positive territory for the year.

"A lot of the people who have cash and who have been afraid of some of these big, macro risks are thinking: Maybe we should get back in because this has been a rough year, and it would be really rough if we missed a big fourth quarter," said Hank Smith, chief investment officer of Haverford Trust Co. in Philadelphia.

Bank shares led the advance again, with the KBW Bank Index (.BKX) up 3.3 percent. Citigroup (C.N) gained 5 percent to $29.22.

The Dow Jones Transportation Average (.DJT) rose 1.3 percent.

Worries that the euro-zone debt crisis could tip the global economy into another recession have pressured stocks in recent months.

Slovak lawmakers struck a deal to ratify more powers for the euro zone's rescue fund, known as the EFSF, effectively ending a crisis that had threatened the euro's survival and has weighed on stocks and other risky assets for months.

Slovakia is the last country in the 17-member currency zone left to approve the revamped EFSF.

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) rose 102.55 points, or 0.90 percent, to end at 11,518.85. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) gained 11.71 points, or 0.98 percent, to 1,207.25. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) shot up 21.70 points, or 0.84 percent, to close at 2,604.73.

The S&P 500 traded above 1,200 for the first time in three weeks, taking the benchmark near the upper end of a range it has been stuck at since early August.

A sustained break above resistance at 1,215 would be seen as a bullish signal, analysts said.

On the earnings front, PepsiCo Inc (PEP.N) rose 2.9 percent to $62.70 after it reported slightly better-than-expected earnings and affirmed its full-year target. But Alcoa Inc (AA.N) fell 2.4 percent to $10.05 and ranked as one of the biggest drags on the Dow, a day after reporting results.

While Alcoa's results marked the start of the third-quarter earnings period, they often don't reflect what the quarter will look like, analysts said.

"We're going to be looking very closely at the earnings from industrials and materials because the two sectors really had bear markets in the third quarter," Smith said.

The S&P materials index (.GSPM) fell 25 percent in the third quarter.

About 8.5 billion shares were traded on the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE Amex and Nasdaq for the day, above the year's daily average so far of about 8.0 billion.

Advancing stocks outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a ratio of 4 to 1, while on the Nasdaq, advancers beat decliners by about 3 to 1.

(Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; Additional reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by Jan Paschal)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks rose on Monday as sentiment swung toward hope that European officials would find a way to cut Greece's debt and shore up European banks.

Shares rallied to session highs in the afternoon after a report said a plan to leverage money from the European Financial Stability Facility was in the works.

Investors were reluctant to make long-term commitments because of conflicting reports about whether or not European officials were preparing to take bold new action to solve the crisis.

"Given how markets have behaved over the past two months, people are interested in the vaguest of rumors because any kind of action being taken would be well-received," said Michael Church, president of Addison Capital in Yardley, Pennsylvania.

Markets have been highly sensitive to European efforts to cauterize the euro zone's credit crisis that has Greece teetering near a default. Last week, the Dow had its biggest weekly loss since October 2008 in the depths of the financial crisis, while the S&P 500 shed 6.6 percent for the week.

Financial shares ranked among the session's best performers, with the KBW Bank Index (.BKX) up 5.3 percent. Dow component JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) advanced 7 percent to $31.65 while Citigroup Inc (C.N) gained 7 percent to $26.72.

However, the Nasdaq's gains were limited after a report on Apple suggested the tech company was cutting back on some key orders.

Talk of plans for a 50 percent write-down in Greek debt and improvements in the euro-zone rescue fund buoyed the market, although European officials called the talk premature. A CNBC report cited a top European official, who said the plans involved using leverage and the European Investment Bank to buy sovereign debt to save European banks.

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) shot up 272.38 points, or 2.53 percent, to end at 11,043.86. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) jumped 26.52 points, or 2.33 percent, to finish at 1,162.95. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) climbed 33.46 points, or 1.35 percent, to close at 2,516.69.

The CBOE Market Volatility index (.VIX) fell 5.4 percent but remains more than 20 percent higher for the month.

"These confidence issues make it hard to move forward and will result in more volatility ahead," said Mark Foster, who helps manage $500 million at Kirr Marbach & Co in Columbus, Indiana.

Apple slipped 0.3 percent to $403.17 after an analyst said the iPhone maker was cutting orders from suppliers of parts for its iPad tablet. The tech bellwether fell as much as 3.2 percent earlier in the session.

"If things slow down on the tablet side, that means that perhaps Apple isn't immune from the economic slowdown after all," Foster said.

On the upside, Boeing Co (BA.N) gave a major lift to the Dow a day after the manufacturer delivered its long-awaited Dreamliner jet to its first airline customer. The stock rose 4.2 percent to $62.01.

Warren Buffett's conglomerate, Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N)(BRKb.N), will launch a share-buyback program, an unprecedented move from Buffett that comes after months of investor complaints that the stock was undervalued.

Shares of Berkshire Hathaway's more actively traded Class B stock soared 8.6 percent to $72.09.

In economic news, sales of new single-family home sales fell in August to a six-month low in another sign the U.S. economy is flagging.

About 8.75 billion shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq, above last year's daily average of 8.47 billion.

About 11 stocks rose for every four that fell on the New York Stock Exchange, while about 62 percent of Nasdaq issues rose.

(Reporting by Ryan Vlastelica; Editing by Kenneth Barry and Jan Paschal)

BANGALORE (Reuters) – Toronto's main stock index looked set to open higher, rebounding from previous session's sell-off, as hopes for an imminent end to the conflict in OPEC-member Libya signal a rally by Canadian energy shares.

FACTORS TO WATCH

Canadian equity futures pointed to a higher open.

U.S. stock index futures were higher following four weeks of equity losses as stocks rebounded globally, led by defensive shares.

Investors flocked to beaten down oil stocks, helping lift Europe's leading shares after a sharp retreat the previous week, while gold issues drew interest amid lingering worries about global growth.

Asian markets were lower with the Nikkei marking its weakest close since March 15 as worries about the U.S. economy offset signs that the Japanese authorities stand ready to quell any further yen strength.

COMMODITY PRICE MOVES

The Thomson Reuters-Jefferies CRB index, a global commodities benchmark, rose 0.38 percent in early trade.

U.S. crude oil futures rose more than $1 a barrel as the dollar eased against a basket of currencies and as stock markets rose on hopes for a swift end to the conflict in Libya.

Gold prices rallied toward $1,900 an ounce as concerns over the global economic outlook fueled interest in the precious metal as a haven from risk and due to talk that weak U.S. growth could spark a further round of monetary easing.

Copper dipped as growing concerns about a slowdown in the United States and the European debt crisis raised fears about the outlook for global growth and demand for metals, although a weak dollar capped the retreat.

CANADIAN STOCKS TO WATCH

Endeavour Mining Corp: The gold miner agreed to buy Australia's Adamus Resources in a deal valued at about C$313.4 million, to create a West Africa-focused gold producer.

Mercator Minerals: The mining company said it has modified a shareholder rights plan to bring it in line with current standards recommended by proxy advisory firm ISS.

ANALYST RECOMMENDATIONS

Following is a summary of research actions on Canadian companies reported by Reuters.

* Altus Group price target cut to C$4 from C$9 at CIBC

* Centric Health coverage started with outperform rating; price target of C$3 at National Bank

($1= $0.98 Canadian)

(Reporting by Anil Kumar)

Stocks are falling again on more fears of economic weakness in the U.S. and Europe’s debt crisis.

European leaders are calling emergency meetings and seeking to contain spreading fears that a large nation such as Italy or Spain might default on its debt.

A government report that hiring improved in July sent stocks sharply higher just after the market opened. The rally lasted less than a half-hour.

A half-hour after trading stared the Dow Jones industrial average is down or 42 points, or 0.4 percent, at 11,341. The S&P 500 is down 9 points, or 0.8 percent, at 1,190. The Nasdaq composite is down 37, or 1.5 percent, at 2,520

The Dow fell 513 points on Thursday in the worst sell-off since 2008.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks ended higher on Thursday as signs of progress on the U.S. debt talks and concrete action from Europe on its own debt crisis heartened investors.

Based on the latest available data, the Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) rose 153.64 points, or 1.22 percent, to end unofficially at 12,725.55. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (.SPX) was up 18.00 points, or 1.36 percent, at 1,343.84. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) was up 20.20 points, or 0.72 percent, at 2,834.43.

(Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by Leslie Adler)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks dropped on Friday and the Nasdaq looked to end an eight-day winning streak as a weak jobs report dashed hopes the economy was emerging from a soft patch, though the start of earnings season next week kept investors engaged.

Employers hired a mere 18,000 workers in June, the Labor Department said, the fewest number in nine months and far below economists’ expectations for a gain of 90,000. The unemployment rate rose unexpectedly in June to 9.2 percent, the highest since December, from 9.1 percent in May.

The sell-off was broad as the report dashed expectations that the labor market would show more signs of strength after some encouraging jobs numbers during the week spurred analysts to raise their forecasts, sparking a rally on Thursday.

Despite the day’s drop, the three major U.S. stock indexes remained higher for the week. But the U.S. stock market is coming off a string of gains that many investors said was related to investors pricing in an earnings season expected to be strong despite the economic slowdown. Over the past eight sessions, the S&P 500 rose 6.7 percent.

“If you’re going to get concerned about the jobs report, you should wait for earnings before going through a complete manic swoon,” said Phil Dow, director of equity strategy at Minneapolis-based RBC Wealth Management, which oversees $164 billion.

“Our guess is that we’ll see better-than-expected earnings and revenue, and combined with the valuation of the market, this is a compelling time to get in.”

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) was down 86.47 points, or 0.68 percent, at 12,633.02. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (.SPX) was down 11.97 points, or 0.88 percent, at 1,341.25. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) was down 21.20 points, or 0.74 percent, at 2,851.49.

Alcoa Inc (AA.N) is scheduled to report results on Monday, and the Dow component’s earnings are seen as the unofficial start to the season. Among the other companies on tap to report next week are JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N), Citigroup Inc (C.N) and Google Inc (GOOG.O). Shares of Google slumped 2.5 percent to $532.88 after Morgan Stanley downgraded the Internet giant to “equal-weight,” citing margin concerns.

Shares of Monster Worldwide (MWW.N), an online employment agency, sank 3.2 percent to $14.65 on the jobs report and were the biggest percentage loser in the Dow Jones U.S. business training and employment index (.DJUSBE), which dropped 3.6 percent.

The CBOE Volatility Index (.VIX) or VIX, widely seen as a measure of anxiety on Wall Street, rose 2.4 percent, but was still at a relatively depressed level of 16.33. It is down 28.2 percent from a high reached on June 16.

Banking stocks were among the biggest losers. The S&P’s financial index (.GSPF) fell 1.4 percent, pressured by Bank of America (BAC.N), which shed 1.9 percent to $10.71 as the most actively traded stock on the New York Stock Exchange.

Semiconductor stocks sank, with the Philadelphia semiconductor index (.SOX) off 1.9 percent and falling under its 50-day moving average. The index is often seen as a leading indicator for the wider market.

U.S. wholesale inventories rose 1.8 percent in May, the Commerce Department said. The much larger-than-expected increase in inventories created a potential drag on growth in the second half of the year as the job market slows.

(Reporting by Ryan Vlastelica; Editing by Jan Paschal)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks extended gains for a second day on Tuesday as optimism grew that a solution to the Greek debt problem was near, boosting investor appetite for risky assets.

Buyers snapped up shares that had fallen sharply in the past week, mostly in commodities and technology.

“The fact that we won’t be seeing the worst-case scenario is the catalyst for the market that is still very oversold,” said James Dailey, portfolio manager of TEAM Asset Strategy Fund in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

The S&P energy index (.GSPE) surged nearly 2.2 percent, the biggest gainer among S&P sectors. Halliburton Co (HAL.N) gained 5.3 percent to $48.66, while Chevron Corp (CVX.N) was up 1.2 percent at $100.09.

Brent crude futures rose $2.41 on Tuesday, pushing oil above $108 a barrel as the dollar weakened and optimism grew that Greece would adopt an austerity program.

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) was up 118.64 points, or 0.99 percent, at 12,162.20. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (.SPX) was up 13.05 points, or 1.02 percent, at 1,293.15. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) was up 31.99 points, or 1.19 percent, at 2,720.27.

Dailey said about the S&P 500 stock index that 1,285 to 1,300 was a technical range being closely watched.

Greek lawmakers will vote Wednesday and Thursday on the measures, which must be passed to receive the next payment of

12 billion euros. If Greece doesn’t get the funds, investors fear a Europe-wide crisis and potential credit market freeze could follow.

Also helping sentiment, progress was reported in talks to persuade European banks and insurers to voluntarily roll over maturing Greek debt.

VIX AND THE GREEK VOTE

While the market was generally optimistic about the vote, some options gauge suggested otherwise.

The CBOE Volatility Index (.VIX), Wall Street’s “fear gauge,” was at 19.62, a number considered relatively high.

“While the most recent newswires are predicting that the Greek government has the minimum votes needed (151 out of 300) to pass the austerity plan, the relatively small declines in the VIX this week, given how sharply the US equity markets have rallied, seem to be building in at least some doubt that the measure may fail,” said Randy Frederick, director of trading and derivatives at Schwab Center for Financial Research in Austin, Texas.

“If the vote fails it could cause a rally in the dollar versus the euro and that would likely prompt a pullback in the domestic equity markets. Given a gain in the SPX of approximately 1.8 percent in the past two days, I would expect much more than the 6 percent decline we’ve seen in the VIX, especially given how high it is relative to the past 3 months or so.”

Nike Inc (NKE.N) surged 7.7 percent to $87.89 a day after reporting fourth-quarter earnings that beat expectations, while orders suggested robust strength for the future.

(Reporting by Angela Moon, Editing by Kenneth Barry)