Asia Pacific shares climbed as the US president-elect Barack Obama said he would spend more than his government received in tax for years to make sure the economy pulled out of recession

The tentative optimism that has pervaded financial markets showed little sign of abating

Three associations representing fund managers in Australia, the UK and US have joined forces to warn that their industry would be damaged if market regulators publish detailed information on short-selling trading positions

Traditionally defensive stocks escaped a modest rally on Wall Street as investors shrugged off more glum economic data and dipped their toes into riskier sectors

The euro fell to three-week lows against the dollar and sterling on Tuesday as plummeting eurozone inflation raised expectations that the European Central Bank was set to cut interest rates in the region.