World shares cling near record highs

World stocks clung close to record highs on Monday as worries about the Delta variant of COVID-19 offset positive sentiment from surging euro zone business activity and a welcome U.S. jobs report.

Five market trends investors are eyeing halfway through 2021

Investors have enjoyed a rewarding ride in the first half of 2021, as unprecedented economic stimulus, stellar earnings growth and a reopening U.S. economy powered the S&P 500 to record highs and a 14% year-to-date gain, putting the index on track for a first-half performance rivaled only once in over two decades.

European shares fall on inflation, pandemic woes

European shares fell on Wednesday as worries about rising inflation and the Delta variant of the novel coronavirus hit economically sensitive sectors, even as technology stocks tracked an overnight surge in their U.S. peers.