Europe, Asia Markets Advance in Thin Holiday Trade

Europe, Asia stock markets advance in thin holiday trade; oil gains amid Israeli offensive

European stock markets closed higher after thin holiday trade Monday, although falls on Wall Street limited gains from commodity stocks. Asian stocks rose moderately.
In Europe, Britain's FTSE 100 gained 2.44 percent, or 102.76 points, to 4,319.35. Germany's DAX closed up 1.63 percent, or 75.48, at 4,704.86 and France's CAC 40 closed 0.47 percent higher, or 14.51, at 3,130.71.
In U.S. midmorning trading, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 86.10, or 1.01 percent, to 8,429.45.

Broader indexes also fell. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 10.60, or 1.21 percent, to 862.20; the Nasdaq composite index fell 27.53, or 1.80 percent, to 1,502.71.