Stocks, Dollar Gain on European Markets

European stocks rose, led by Germany, as a rebound in Japanese shares eased fears of a meltdown in Asian markets and a strengthening U.S. dollar helped boost shares of exporters. Japanese stocks gained for a second day, led by banks and brokerages, amid optimism the government will apply strong measures to bail out the country’s faltering financial industry. Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei-225 index rose 3.5% to 16,603.20 points. The dollar climbed against the German mark amid evidence Germany’s recovery is precarious, while U.S. economic growth remains solid. A rising dollar boosts earnings for companies that do business in the U.S., such as Siemens, Germany’s largest electronics and engineering company. Frankfurt’s DAX-30 index rose 0.9%, to 3,962 points. Paris’ CAC-40 index gained 0.6% to 2,829 points. London’s FTSE-100 edged lower to 4,889 points. The dollar rose to 1.7651 marks, extending Wednesday’s rise to 1.7636--the strongest since Oct. 27.