U.S. stocks rose on Monday, lifting the S&P 500 and the Dow to record finishes, as technology shares

surged and M&A activity helped brighten Wall Street's view of the economy. Internet and biotechnology

shares bounced back on Monday, with Twitter, Yahoo and Facebook among those rallying. More >>

Markets were jittery after pro-Russian separatists claimed victory in a weekend referendum on self-rule in

eastern Ukraine, fuelling fears that the country is sliding closer to civil war. The vote has been condemned

by Ukraine’s government and the West. More >>

DAILY

12th May 2014

NATURAL GAS ($4.410/MmBtu, -2.40%): Natural gas futures declined for the fourth consecutive

session on Monday to hit a five-week low, as updated weather forecasting models continued to call for

slightly warmer than normal temperatures over the next 15 days. More >>

GOLD ($1295,70/ozt, +0.95%): Gold prices edged up in U.S. trading on Monday after Ukrainian

separatists over the weekend voted in favor of self rule, which bolstered the yellow metal's safe-haven

appeal. More >>

DISCLAIMER: Daily Briefs contains a summary of financial news covered on conventional news services around the world. Daily Briefs coverage of subjects is based on the

whims of its volunteer contributors. FEP Finance Club is not responsible for any imprecision or error in the content of any news.

PSI20: +0.95% DAX30: +1.26% FTSE100: +0.55% S&P500: +0.97% NIKKEI225: -0.35%

Asian stocks outside Japan rose as Chinese shares surged on speculation the government will take steps

to bolster equities. More >>

Japan posted a much lower-than-expected current account surplus in March on weak demand for

exports and rising imports. More >>

The National Australia Bank monthly business survey found confidence lifted to positive four points in

April, returning to long-run average levels after its post-election low in March. More >>

European shares hit six-year highs on Monday, lifted by strong results from Italian companies including

the country's largest bank, UniCredit, and by mergers & acquisition activity. The euro zone's blue-chip

Euro STOXX 50 index closed 0.7 percent higher, at 3 206.97 points. More >>

Britain's economy grew by 1.0% in the three months to April, its fastest pace since June 2010, according

to the National Institute of Economic and Social Research. However, UK’s economic recovery has taken

much longer to get in gear than in countries such as the United States and Germany. More >>

The PSI-20, the main index of Euronext Lisbon, closed the first session of the week advancing to 7366.16

points. Mota-Engil, Portucel Semapa and the financial sector contributed to the positive performance of

the PSI-20 that closed gaining nearly 1%. More >>

Turnover of accommodation establishments grew by 5.5% in 2013. Revenues from hotels rose 5.5% to

EUR 1 958 million in 2013. The increase was primarily due to the foreign demand, according to the

sectors of Portugal study, published by the company D & B. More >>