Global shares gain as finance leaders back easy money

TOKYO (AP) - Shares rose in Europe and Asia on Monday after leaders of global finance appealed at a weekend meeting of the International Monetary Fund for a continuation of low-interest rate policies to keep economic recoveries on track.

KEEPING SCORE: Germany's DAX edged 0.2 percent higher to 13,012.00 and the FTSE 100 was up 0.1 percent to 7,546.05. The CAC 40 of France added 0.3 percent to 5,365.57. Dow futures added 0.1 percent to 22,845.00 and S&P 500 futures were almost unchanged, pointing to a steady start for the week on Wall Street.

ASIA'S DAY: Japan's Nikkei 225 index added 0.5 percent to 21,255.56 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index surged 0.8 percent to 28,692.80. South Korea's Kospi rose 0.3 percent to 2,480.05 and the S&P ASX/200 advanced 0.6 percent to 5,846.80. India's Sensex picked up 0.6 percent to 32,612.52, but the Shanghai Composite index slipped 0.4 percent to 3,378.47. Shares in Southeast Asia were higher.

GLOBAL FINANCE: Finance ministers declared the recovery from the 2008 financial crisis incomplete and said central banks should stick with low interest rates that make borrowing attractive to safeguard the still fragile world economy. The meeting in Washington also focused attention on the failure of such policies to fuel inflation outside of financial markets. The 189-nation IMF's communique warned there "is no room for complacency" as nations confront new challenges to global growth from a range of threats, including cyber-security attacks and more violent weather patterns linked to climate change.

ANALYST VIEWPOINT: "In the face of protectionist threats, global economies have enjoyed a synchronized upswing this year amidst a pickup in trade activity, but even then the outlook is not entirely rosy," Mizuho Bank said in a commentary. "To begin with, it is becoming increasingly evident that persistently low inflation has become a puzzle, even to central bank policymakers," it said.

CHINA PARTY MEETING: China's ruling Communist Party begins a congress Wednesday where President Xi Jinping, the country's most powerful leader in decades, will get a second five-year term as party leader. The meeting will be closely watched for indications of future policy at a time when the party is expanding its role in the world's second-largest economy even though strong job creation and through it poverty alleviation depend largely on the dynamism of the private sector.

ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude oil picked up 66 cents to $52.11 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It gained 85 cents, or 1.7 percent, to $51.45 a barrel on Friday. Brent crude, used to price international oils, climbed 74 cents to $57.91 per barrel. It gained 92 cents, or 1.6 percent, to $57.17 a barrel in London.

CURRENCIES: The dollar slid to 111.79 yen from 111.82 yen. The euro dipped to $1.1792 from $1.1820.