World stocks rise on hopes for EU, US stimulus

John Nyaradi submits:As poor economic news continued to pour in last week, punctuated by Friday’s dismal Non Farm Payrolls report, the chatter regarding “QE2” or “QE Lite,” some sort of additional quantitative easing by the Fed, rose to nearly hysterical levels by the close of business Friday.

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(BEIJING) — World stocks rose Tuesday as optimism China and the United States might take new steps to stimulate growth offset weak U.S. data and the IMF’s gloomier outlook for world growth. Expectations of possible Chinese stimulus measures rose after Premier Wen Jiabao’s weekend promise of tax breaks and other aid to struggling small businesses.

Stocks in Europe rose for a second day Tuesday, and Asia was higher, amid hopes that policy makers could take steps to strengthen the global economic recovery, which had threatened to falter.

Asian stock markets rose Monday in holiday-thinned trade as sluggish U.S. growth figures boosted hopes for more measures from the Federal Reserve to help the world's No. 1 economy.