Global markets hit all-time high as economic optimism returns

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Reuters

Global and US stock performance set fresh all-time highs yesterday, buoyed by a bright business outlook and strong corporate earnings, while the economy's strength in continental Europe lifted the euro to a two-month high against the dollar.

German business confidence hit a record high in November, a sign that Europe's largest economy is on track for a boom, the Ifo economic institute said. The Ifo survey helped allay concerns about the recent failure of forming a new German government and came a day after surveys of Europe's services and manufacturing industries beat the most optimistic forecasts in Reuters polls.