• Strong earnings from Intel and other companies drove Wall Street indexes to record closing highs on Friday, while the U.S. dollar remained weak after recent comments by the U.S. Treasury secretary.
The S&P 500 jumped 1.2 percent, its biggest daily percentage gain since March 1. The S&P and the two other main indexes all notched their best four-week runs since 2016.
Shares of Intel Corp (INTC.O) jumped more than 10 percent and hit their highest level since October 2000 a day after the company reported quarterly results.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 223.92 points, or 0.85 percent, to 26,616.71, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 33.62 points, or 1.18 percent, to 2,872.87, and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 94.61 points, or 1.28 percent, to 7,505.77.
• Asian shares looked to extend their recent bull run on Monday amid upbeat corporate earnings and strong global economic growth, while more rumblings from the White House about “unfair” trade practices kept the U.S. dollar on the defensive.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS added 0.19 percent in early trade and aiming for a 12th straight session of gains. It is up nearly 8 percent for the year so far.
Japan's Nikkei .N225 rose 0.2 percent, though the export sector was again struggling with a rising yen.
Reference: Reuters, CNBC
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