(index / closing price / change items /% change)

Nikkei 225 17,729.84 -89.12 -0.50 %

Hang Seng 23,773.18 +423.84 +1.82 %

Shanghai Composite 3,169.13 +11.53 +0.37 %

FTSE 100 6,633.51 +23.58 +0.36 %

CAC 40 4,317.93 +22.08 +0.51 %

Xetra DAX 9,927.13 +5.02 +0.05 %

S&P 500 2,090.57 +1.80 +0.09 %

NASDAQ Composite 4,806.91 +0.05 0.00%

Dow Jones 18,038.23 -15.48 -0.09 %

U.S. stock-index futures fell amid the prospect of Greek snap elections.

Global markets:

Nikkei 17,729.84 -89.12 -0.50%

Hang Seng 23,773.18 +423.84 +1.82%

Shanghai Composite 3,169.13 +11.53 +0.37%

FTSE 6,593.7 -16.23 -0.25%

CAC 4,263.19 -32.66 -0.76%

DAX 9,838.01 -84.10 -0.85%

Crude oil $55.40 (+1.25%)

Gold $1193.40 (-0.16%)

(company / ticker / price / change, % / volume)

European indices declined after the government's candidate, Savros Dimas, fell short of the 180 vote majority in the third of three votes. Now a general election has to be called and will be held in late January or early February. Elections could bring the anti-austerity party Syriza to power and threaten Greece's bailout and fuel concerns over the fate of the Eurozone and the timeline of ECB's plans for economic stimulus.

In today's session the FTSE 100 index shed early gains adding +0.05% quoted at 6,613.22 points, being the only of the three major European indices still positive supported by rising gold mining stocks. France's CAC 40 lost -0.52% trading at 4,273.43. Germany's DAX 30 is currently trading -0.86% at 9,836.76 points.

REUTERS
Oil prices climb on Libya supply worries

(Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Monday, after dropping for the past two sessions, as escalating clashes in Libya stoked worries about supply from the OPEC member.

A fire caused by fighting at one of Libya's main export terminals has destroyed 800,000 barrels of crude - more than two days of the country's output, officials said, amid clashes between factions battling for control of the nation..

"Libya, and all the other problems, warrants some kind of risk premium," said Jonathan Barratt, chief investment officer at Sydney's Ayers Alliance. "Oil is at a level where people are happy to build in a risk premium," he said.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/29/us-markets-oil-idUSKBN0K701D20141229

BLOOMBERG

China Money Rate Drops a Fifth Day as Deposit Rules Ease Concern

China's benchmark money-market rate fell for a fifth day in the longest run of declines since October on speculation changes to deposit rules will reduce lenders' precautionary funding needs.

A new People's Bank of China regulation, reported yesterday by the official Xinhua News Agency, relaxes rules on the calculation of banks' deposits and waives reserves requirements for savings of non-deposit-taking financial institutions held at lenders. The changes make a broader cut in reserves requirements unlikely in the near term, Shenyin Wanguo Securities Co. analysts led by Shanghai-based Chen Kang wrote in a research note today.

"Investors who were concerned about the impact of reserve charges due to deposit adjustments will now expect liquidity to be smooth," said Deng Haiqing, a Beijing-based analyst at Citic Securities Co. "The new rule itself delivered a message that the PBOC wants liquidity to remain stable, and will maintain a relatively loose monetary policy overall."

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-29/china-money-rate-drops-a-fifth-day-as-deposit-rules-ease-concern.html

BLOOMBERG

The 94% Plunge That Shows Abenomics Losing Global Investors

Foreign investors have had just about enough of Abenomics.

After pumping record amounts of cash into Japanese shares last year, they've hardly added to holdings in 2014. Inflows are down 94 percent this year to 898 billion yen ($7.5 billion), on pace for the smallest annual amount since the 2008 global financial crisis. The month of April 2013 alone registered almost three times as much foreign investment in the stock market as all of 2014.

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-28/the-94-plunge-that-shows-abenomics-is-losing-global-investors.html

European indices opened mixed after a holiday-shortened week and amid concerns over political instability in Greece where the a third and final attempt of Greece's Prime Minister Antonio Samaras attempt to get his candidate approved by the parliament is taking place today. If this third attempt is not successful general elections will be held in late January or early February that could bring the anti-austerity party Syriza to power and threaten Greece's bailout. Trading volumes are expected to remain low.

The FTSE 100 index is currently trading +0.34% quoted at 6,632.35 points, Germany's DAX 30 lost -0.29% trading at 9,892.99. France's CAC 40 rose by +0.28%, currently trading at 4,307.79 points.

U.S. markets closed higher on Friday after a broad rally and closed at record highs for their second weekly advance in light trading. The DOW JONES added +0.13% closing at 18,053.71 points. The S&P 500 added +0.33% with a final quote of 2,088.77 with eight of the ten sectors of the S&P adding gains.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose by +1.72% to 23,751.92 points. China's Shanghai Composite closed at 3,169.13 points, a plus of +0.37%, the highest since January 2010, as Chinese markets opened after the Christmas holiday break. Markets were supported by gains in U.S. indices and the new Chinese rules that will facilitate lending.

Japan's Nikkei declined by 1% shedding early gains after the health ministry announced a suspected case of the Ebola virus. The Nikkei closed at 17,729.84 points, a loss of -0.50%. This weekend the Japanese Government approved a 3.5 Trillion Yen fiscal stimulus to strengthen its economy and restore the country's public finances.