US shares rebounded overnight, as investors applauded signs on both sides of the Atlantic that government fiscal problems are getting solved.

Wall St was mixed overnight as investors mostly welcomed data showing US business activity and factory orders accelerated more than expected.

Consumer and business confidence in Europe and the US has been hammered this past month, unsurprisingly, and yet stocks are mixed on Wall St.

Better-than-expected US consumer spending and a deal to merge two top Greek banks helped bolster investor optimism overnight.

Investors desperate for news indicating the US economic recovery might be on track after all, and received it overnight as a report on durable goods orders surpassed expectations.

Investors found some value among beaten-down stocks on Wall St overnight as they picked up shares of Apple and IBM amid hope the Fed will announce new measures to shore up the US economy.

World share markets are up again, after a good earnings report from Cisco and a positive US jobs report.

The New Zealand stock exchange is back in positive territory - currently up 0.2 per cent.

Wall St has followed European markets sharply down overnight, with the Dow Jones falling 5.5 per cent, the Standard & Poor's 500 index down 6.6 per cent and the Nasdaq down 6.9 per cent.

An agreement on the US debt ceiling did little to stem investors' concern overnight that the world's largest economy is faltering, which will hurt corporate earnings down the road.

Investors on Wall Street sat on their hands while the US Democrats and Republicans duked it out over rival plans to lower the country's deficit and raise the US$14.3 trillion debt ceiling.

A Mexican standoff in the US debt talks, with a potential credit ratings downgrade and a government default at stake, kept investors on the sidelines overnight.

World markets were up overnight, as positive debt reports came out of the United States and Europe.

Apple's solid profits failed to take away investors' concern about the political wrangling in the US.

Editors, reporters, politicians, police officers ... all are involved as a media empire's shame is exposed.

Investors' optimism about fresh stimulus by the Federal Reserve was dampened overnight as Ben Bernanke indicated the central bank wasn't planning any immediate action.

World share markets rose overnight after Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said the Fed was ready to help the US economy if there were further signs of weakness.

Fear that the debt crisis in Europe is spreading has sent investors running for the exits, hammering both global equities and the euro.