US stocks advance

US stocks rose Monday after European Union leaders presented a united front in an effort to ward off renewed fears over the euro currency's strength.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy spoke in Berlin after a working lunch.

“There is no future for Europe if Germany and France are not in agreement,” Sarkozy told reporters at a news conference.

The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 32.77 points, or 0.27 per cent, to 12,392.69. The broader Standard & Poor's 500

Index increased 2.89 points, or 0.23 per cent, to 1,280.70. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index added 2.34 points, or 0.09

per cent, to 2,676.56.

The US currency slid against the euro to 78.35 from 78.64 euro cent on Friday. The dollar dropped against the Japanese currency to 76.87 from 76.97 yen. - Sapa-dpa