Markets in Asia were sharply higher.

The Nikkei rose 1.7% to 10,444.

The Hang Seng was up 2.4% to 21,918.

The Shanghai Composite rose 2% to 3,060.

At the open in Europe, The FTSE rose .7% to 5,162. The Dax was up .6% to 5,737. SAP (SAP ) fell after Oracle’s (ORCL) earnings. The CAC 40 rose .6% to 3,837.

Data from MarketWatch and Reuters.

Douglas A. McIntyre