NEW YORK (February 09, 2010): The S&P 500 and Nasdaq edged higher on Monday as several bellwethers rose on brokerage upgrades and positive comments about the economy, but worries about eurozone sovereign debt problems limited gains. Worries about Greece's financial problems and other fiscally fragile eurozone countries has dragged Wall Street about 7 percent lower since mid-January.

TOKYO (February 09, 2010): Japan's Nikkei stock average sank 1.1 percent to a two-month closing low on Monday, with exporters such as Sony Corp hurt by a stronger yen, while anxiety over fiscal problems in Europe continued to dent investor confidence. Kirin Holdings fell more than 7 percent after saying that it and fellow brewer Suntory had scrapped a plan to form one of the world's largest food and beverage makers, citing differences over governance and a merger ratio.

LONDON (February 09, 2010): Britain's top share index closed 0.6 percent higher on Monday, as gains in rebounding miners and strength in defensive issues more than offset weaker financials, which were weighed by ongoing eurozone debt issues. The FTSE 100 rose 31.41 points at 5,092.33 in choppy trade. The index fell 2.5 percent last week, its fourth straight weekly decline and is down 6 percent in 2010.

LONDON (February 09, 2010): Major stock markets outside the United States ended on Monday.

LONDON (February 09, 2010): European shares snapped a three-day losing streak on Monday, boosted by defensive stocks such as drugmakers and commodities tracking crude and metal prices higher. The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares closed up 0.7 percent at 979.33 points in choppy trade, having been as high as 982.02 points and as low as 964.22 earlier.

MUMBAI (February 09, 2010): Indian shares pulled back from an early slide and eked out a 0.1 percent gain on Monday, after a recovery in their European peers helped soothe nerves. Beaten down telecoms Bharti Airtel and Reliance Communications led the rise. The government forecast the economy would grow 7.2 percent in the current fiscal year that ends in March, picking up from a six-year low in the previous year and reinforcing market expectations of strong industrial growth.

TAIPEI (February 09, 2010): Taiwan stocks closed 0.04 percent higher on Monday, led by AU Optronics and other LCD makers, as a fall in US unemployment data raised expectations for stronger technology demand. US unemployment fell to a surprising five-month low of 9.7 percent in January and factory payrolls grew for the first time since 2007, hinting at a labour market recovery even though the economy lost 20,000 jobs.

HONG KONG (February 09, 2010): Hong Kong shares slipped to a five-month closing low on Monday, falling for a third consecutive session on mounting concerns that the euro zone's debt problems will hamper the global economic recovery. The benchmark Hang Seng Index closed down 0.58 percent or 114.19 points at 19,550.89. The China Enterprises Index of top locally listed mainland Chinese stocks closed down 1.28 percent at 10,989.19.

COLOMBO (February 09, 2010): Major Southeast Asian stock markets fell on Monday due to growing worries over the eurozone's debt problems and the prospect of further turbulence on world markets, but Singapore bucked the trend. At a weekend meeting, European ministers tried to reassure their counterparts in the Group of Seven that the eurozone's debt crisis was under control and that Greece would stick to its budget-cutting plan.

SEOUL (February 09, 2010): Seoul shares fell on Monday led by banking and Kumho Asiana Group related issues including Hana Financial Group and Kumho Petrochemical, amid renewed concerns about the group's financial position. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) finished down 0.91 percent to 1,552.79 points, the lowest close since November 27, 2009.