US stocks end in green for second straight session

US indices rose in the first trading session of the week, supported by the release of economic data that strengthened market expectations for the Federal Reserve to continue its monetary easing cycle in the US.

Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 0.85%, or 353 points, to 41,841 points.

Meanwhile, S&P 500 Index increased 0.65%, or 36 points, to 5,675 points, to continue rising for the second session in a row. Nasdaq Composite advanced about 0.3%, or 54 points, to 17,808 points.

As for the European indices, STOXX Europe 600 added 0.8% to 550.9 points.

FTSE 100 rose 0.55% to 8,680 points, and CAC 40 added nearly the same percentage to 8,073 points. DAX 40 gained 0.75% to 23,154 points.

In Japan, Nikkei 225 inched up 0.95% to 37,396 points. TOPIX surged 1.2% to 2,748 points.

In the oil market, futures contracts for Brent crude for May 2025 delivery inched up 0.7%, or $0.49, to $71.07 per barrel.

Meanwhile, prices of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil for April delivery added 0.6%, or $0.40, to $67.58 per barrel.

As for gold, futures prices for the yellow metal for April delivery gained 0.15%, or $5 to $3,006.1 per ounce, hitting a record level for the third session straight.

Retail sales rose by 0.2% month-on-month in February, below expectations of a 0.6% increase, according to the report released by the Department of Commerce.