Currencies

• EUR/USD The Euro rose to a three-week high against the dollar on speculation European officials will approve additional assistance for Greece as part of efforts to counter the region's debt crisis.
  • The euro advanced to $1.4379 as of 1:44 p.m. in Tokyo from $1.4282 in New York yesterday.


• USD/JPY The yen fell versus all its major counterparts after Moody's Investors Service placed Japan's credit ratings on review for possible downgrade.
  • The yen fell 0.3 percent to 81.18 versus the greenback.


• GBP/USD The U.S. dollar was steady in whisper-quiet trading on Monday, as holidays in both the U.S. and the U.K. drained volume from the markets.
  • It was trading against the British pound at $1.6528 around 7:30 a.m. London time.

Commodities

• Gold futures on Monday rose to a three-week high yesterday as ongoing concern about Greek sovereign debt heightened the safe-haven appeal of the metal.
  • Gold for August delivery, the most-active contract, rose $2.50, or 0.2%, to $1,539.8 an ounce in electronic trade on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.

• Oil rose for a second day in New York, trimming the biggest monthly decline in a year, after a pump-station leak forced the shutdown of the Keystone pipeline that carries crude to the largest U.S. storage hub.
  • Futures climbed as much as 0.9 percent as TransCanada Corp. closed the link that runs from Alberta to Cushing, Oklahoma, where New York-traded oil is stored.
  • Crude for July delivery rose as much as 86 cents to $101.45 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It was at $101.17 at 1.13 p.m. Singapore time.

Equities

• U.S. stocks Financial markets in the U.S. were closed yesterday for the Memorial Day holiday.


• European stocks edged lower Monday, with volumes thinned by holidays in the U.S.
  • Worries about Greece's finances remained in the spotlight, pushing down the ASE Composite index by 2% to 1240.25.
  • U.K. markets were closed for a spring bank holiday.
  • The German DAX 30 index was fractionally lower at 7160.30, and France's CAC 40 index shed 0.2% to 3942.53.


• Asian stocks rose, with the regional benchmark index paring the biggest monthly decline in a year, amid speculation European officials will sanction more assistance for Greece.
  • The MSCI Asia Pacific Index gained 1 percent to 135.65 as of 1:07 p.m. in Tokyo.
  • Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Average climbed 1.4 percent..
  • Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index increased 0.9 percent, while China's Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite Index slipped 0.1 percent.

Sources: Bloomberg, FT