FROM MORRISON SECURITIES PTY LTD.

U.S. STOCK MARKETS:

Stocks rose to multiyear highs in the first session of the new quarter after a solid reading on domestic manufacturing activity in March. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 52.45 points, or 0.40%, to 13264.49, its highest close since December 2007.

The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index gained 10.43 points, or 0.74%, to 1418.90, its highest finish since May 2008. The Nasdaq Composite rose 28.13 points, or 0.91%, to 3119.70.

All 10 sectors of the S&P 500 advanced, paced by the materials and technology sectors. Oil-and-gas company Denbury Resources rose, as did coal producer Alpha Natural Resources.

Beauty-products seller Avon Products led the index higher, climbing 17% after receiving a $10 billion buyout offer from Coty, a closely held fragrance company. Avon rejected the bid, saying it was opportunistic and substantially undervalued the company.

Spending on construction projects in the U.S. fell for the second straight month in February, showing the sector is struggling to build on momentum late last year. The drop was the biggest since July and fell short of economists' average forecast for an increase.

In other corporate news, Groupon slumped 17% after the online coupon provider revised lower previously reported fourth-quarter earnings and revenue as a result of an increase to its refund reserve accrual.

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals plunged 65% after the company said a Phase III trial to evaluate its treatment for colorectal cancer didn't meet the primary endpoint. Theravance climbed 19% as it entered into a deal in which GlaxoSmithKline would increase its ownership in Theravance by 10 million shares.

EUROPEAN STOCK MARKETS

European stocks ended with strong gains Monday after manufacturing data in the U.S. showed an improvement in March, although losses for some banks weighed on sentiment.

The Stoxx Europe 600 index closed up 1.5% at 267.16, after trading as low as 262.22 earlier in the day. The pan-European index traded mostly in negative territory until the release of the U.S. Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing gauge for March, which climbed to 53.4% from 52.4% in February.

Stocks had fallen after media reports that the Bundesbank had stopped accepting government bonds from Ireland, Portugal and Greece as collateral in its lending operations.

The reports were denied by a representative of the Bundesbank. Among the biggest gainers in the Stoxx 600, Novo Nordisk AS added 5.6% after the insulin maker said it now owns 4.71% of its total share capital, as part of its repurchase program.

The Danish drug maker also announced that U.S. regulators have approved its insulin product Levemir for the treatment of diabetes in certain pregnant women.

Southern European banks were among the biggest decliners in Europe. National Bank of Greece SA shed 8.3%, pressuring the Athens General Index which fell 2.1% to 713.66.

Italian banks also headed lower, weighing on the FTSE MIB index which gave up 0.2% to 15,948,86. Banca Popolare di Milano SCARL lost 2%, while Banca Popolare dell'Emilia Romagna Scarl shed 1.8%. Bucking the trend in Spain, Banco Santander SA added 0.2% and BBVA SA was up 0.1%.

The IBEX 35 index traded 0.4% higher at 8,042.80. France's CAC 40 index traded 1.1% higher at 3,462.91. Oil group Total SA advanced 2.3% as the firm said it's getting closer to stopping a gas leak in the North Sea. Credit Agricole SA gave up 0.8% and Societe Generale SA fell 0.2%.

BNP Paribas SA added 0.4%. In the U.K., mining stocks advanced as China's official National Bureau of Statistics' manufacturing purchasing manager's index for March rose to the highest level in a year.

Pointing in the other direction, however, a final report from HSBC showed a decline in the country's PMI. Evraz PLC gained 2.4%, while Fresnillo PLC was up 4.1%.

Rio Tinto PLC added 3.2% after Barclays upgraded the stock to overweight from equal weight. The FTSE 100 index closed 1.9% higher at 5,874.89.

In Germany, the DAX 30 index traded 1.6% higher at 7,056.65. Supporting the index, Deutsche Post AG added 2.7% after Deutsche Bank lifted the stock to buy from hold. BMW AG rose 2.6% after it was affirmed at overweight by Barclays Capital.

ASIA-PACIFIC STOCK MARKETS

Asian stock markets ended mostly higher Monday, starting off a new quarter on a positive note with a weaker yen lifting the Tokyo market, while Seoul stocks advanced after Moody's raised the country's credit rating outlook.

Japan's Nikkei Stock Average rose 0.3%, while South Korea's Kospi climbed 0.8% and Singapore's Straits Times Index added 0.2%. In the opposite direction, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index gave up 0.2% and Taiwan's Taiex declined 0.9%.

Mainland Chinese markets were closed for a holiday. An official survey on Chinese manufacturing activity, released over the weekend, showed a much better-than-expected improvement in March.

The result was in sharp contrast with a separate survey from HSBC the same day, which showed a contraction in monthly activity. HSBC economists said the data kept Chinese monetary-policy easing hopes alive.

South Korean stocks got a lift after Moody's raised the outlook on the nation's A1 rating to positive from stable, citing very strong and improving fiscal fundamentals and resilience in its external financing position.

Banks led the advance, with KB Financial Group up 2.8% and Shinhan Financial Group up 2.1%. Among exporters, Hyundai Motor gained 3.0%.

Exporters were also propped up in Tokyo as the yen weakened against the dollar and the euro after the Bank of Japan's tankan survey undershot expectations. Honda Motor rose 2.1%, Suzuki Motor Corp. climbed 2.4% and Canon Inc. added 2.1%.

Banking stocks also advanced after the Nikkei reported over the weekend that Japan's top three lenders were expected to post a combined profit of around Y2 trillion for the year ended March 31, up 30% from the year-ago period. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Holdings Group Inc. jumped 3.4%, Mizuho Financial Group Inc. climbed 0.7% and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. rose 1.7%.

COMMODITIES

Base metals closed higher on the London Metal Exchange Monday, lifted out of a mid-session rut by a stronger-than-expected manufacturing reading from the U.S.

At the close, flagship three-month copper was 2.3% higher on the day at $8,640 a metric ton, having earlier hit a two-and-a-half-week peak at $8,653/ton. Nickel saw similar gains, closing 2.2% higher at $18,220/ton.

Copper's break above tough resistance at $8,600/ton escalated gains as some investors were forced to cover short positions. Oil futures rallied Monday in tandem with equities after new data on March manufacturing activity came in better than expected.

Light, sweet crude for May delivery ended the day up $2.21, or 2.2%, at $105.23 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude on the ICE Futures Europe exchange settled up $2.55, or 2.1%, at $125.43 a barrel.

Gold futures settled higher, drawing strength from new inflows of investment funds at the start of the second quarter as well a steady dollar. The most actively traded contract, for June delivery, settled up $7.80, or 0.5%, at $1,679.70 a troy ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.