Global markets rise as Japan nuclear fears recede

Global markets were buoyant today as fears eased over the possibility of a nuclear meltdown in Japan.

Stocks responded positively to the announcement today by Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who said progress is being made in restoring power to the two reactors at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi plant. In the US, the Dow Jones opened strongly, up 1.67% to 12,056, with the market also boosted by AT&T's proposal to buy T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom for $39bn. All major European markets were up, with the FTSE gaining 1.24% to 5,789, while the French Cac rose 2.1% to 3,890 and German Dax was up 2.06% to 6,801 On the currency front, the yen fell further to 81.13 against the dollar as G7 ...