Global Markets Begin Trading Week on Upswing  

Global markets are mostly higher Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders aimed at extending coronavirus relief payments for many Americans. In Asia, Sydney’s S&P/ASX index gained 1.6%.  Shanghai’s Composite index finished 0.7% higher. Seoul’s KOSPI index earned 1.4%, and the TSEC index in Taipei rose 0.5%.   In late afternoon trading, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was off 0.6%, while the Sensex in Mumbai was up 0.7%.   The Nikkei in Tokyo was closed for a public holiday. European markets are off to a good start, with the FTSE index in London up 0.8%, the CAC-40 in Paris is 0.6% higher, and the DAX index in Frankfurt gaining 0.2%  In commodities trading, gold continues its record-setting pace, selling at $2,022.80 per ounce, up 0.6%.  U.S. crude oil is trading at $41.82 per barrel, up 1.4%, and Brent crude oil is up one percent, trading at $44.88 per barrel. The Dow Jones and S&P 500 are trending positively in futures trading, while the Nasdaq has dipped slightly into negative territory. 
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