World shares mostly higher after broad rally on Wall Street

By ELAINE KURTENBACH
AP Business Writer

BANGKOK (AP) — Stocks are mostly higher in Europe and Asia after a broad rally on Wall Street as investors keep an eye on the spread of the new coronavirus variant and measures governments are taking to restrain it. Markets are watching for U.S. employment and other data due out Friday. Shares rose in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Shanghai and Tokyo. They fell in Hong Kong. On Thursday, the S&P 500 rose 1.4% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1.8%. The Nasdaq rose 0.8%. Small-company stocks outpaced the rest of the market. Crude oil prices surged further after OPEC stuck to its plans to boost output via steady, modest monthly increases.