Global stock markets mostly edged higher on Monday as traders welcomed below-forecast US inflation data that raised hopes about the health of the world’s biggest economy.A holiday-thinned week got off to a healthy start after last week’s sell-off sparked by the US central bank signalling fewer interest rate cuts than had been expected for 2025. Asian markets followed a strong lead from Wall Street, which rebounded on Friday on the inflation datat, with Tokyo and Hong Kong in the green. Shanghai was the sole decliner.European markets struggled for direction, with London edging up and Paris and Frankfurt remaining flat.Sharp losses last week were pared back after US inflation data for November came in lower than expected, providing some optimism that policymakers were winning the battle against prices and would have room to keep cutting rates.Still, there remains some trepidation among investors as Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House, pledging to cut taxes, slash regulations and impose tariffs on imports, which some economists warn could reignite inflation.”The initial response to the US election was positive as investors focused on the obvious tailwinds to profitability: lower corporate tax rates and less regulation,” said Ronald Temple, chief market strategist at Lazard. “However, I expect much more dispersion within the equity market when the reality of a much-less-friendly trade environment sets in.”Investors were also cheered by news that US lawmakers had reached a deal to avert a Christmastime government shutdown following marathon talks on Friday.In the UK, the government was dealt a fresh blow after official data showed that the economy stagnated in the third quarter, revised down from inital estimates of 0.1 percent growth. “The economy stood still between July and September, and that was before the budget cast another chill, and caused output to shrink in October,” said Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves. Official data out of Spain on Monday showed that the Spanish economy grew 0.8 percent in the third quarter as domestic consumption and exports increased, comfortably outstripping the European Union average.In company news, shares in crisis-hit German auto giant Volkswagen lost around two percent on the back of news Friday that it plans to axe 35,000 jobs by 2030 in a drastic cost-cutting plan.Shares in Japanese auto giant Honda rose over three percent after it announced Monday an agreement to launch merger talks with struggling compatriot Nissan that could create the world’s third largest automaker.- Key figures around 1100 GMT -London – FTSE 100: UP 0.1 percent at 8,090.68 pointsParis – CAC 40: FLAT at 7,274.85Frankfurt – DAX: FLAT at 19,881.63Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 1.2 percent at 39,161.34 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 0.8 percent at 19,883.13 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.5 percent at 3,351.26 (close)New York – Dow: UP 1.2 percent at 42,840.26 (close)Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0395 from $1.0431 on FridayPound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2543 from $1.2567Dollar/yen: UP at 156.79 yen from 156.45 yen Euro/pound: DOWN at 82.83 pence from 82.98 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.4 percent at $69.20 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.4 percent at $72.66 per barrel

Japanese auto giant Honda and its struggling rival Nissan agreed Monday to launch talks on a merger seen as a bid to catch up with Chinese rivals and Tesla on electric vehicles.Their collaboration would create the world’s third largest automaker, expanding development of EVs and self-driving tech.But Honda’s CEO insisted that it was not a bailout for Nissan, who last month announced thousands of job cuts and reported a 93 percent plunge in first-half net profit.”This is not a rescue,” Toshihiro Mibe told reporters, stressing that one condition for the merger would be for Nissan to complete its so-called “turnaround” plan.Lacklustre consumer spending and stiff competition in several markets is making life hard for many automakers.Business has been especially tough for foreign brands in China, where electric vehicle manufacturers such as BYD are leading the way as demand grows for less polluting vehicles.The two firms along with Mitsubishi Motors said they had signed a memorandum of understanding to start discussions on integrating their business under a new holding company.Citing “dramatic changes in the environment surrounding both companies and the automotive industry”, a joint statement said the companies planned to list the holding company on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in August 2026.It comes after reports said Taiwanese electronics behemoth Foxconn had unsuccessfully approached Nissan to acquire a majority share. It then asked Renault to sell its 35 percent stake in Nissan — a pursuit now said to have been put on hold.- Unequal marriage -China overtook Japan as the biggest vehicle exporter last year, helped by government support for EVs.Honda and Nissan — Japan’s number two and three automakers after Toyota — already agreed in March to explore a strategic partnership on software and components for EVs among other technologies.This partnership was joined by Mitsubishi Motors in August.The companies want to seal their merger deal in June next year, but it is unlikely to be a marriage of equals.Honda will nominate the president of the new holding company, whose board will be mostly made up of Honda executives, their statement said.Nissan is a majority shareholder of Mitsubishi Motors, which “aims to reach its conclusion by the end of January 2025 on the participation or involvement in the business integration between Nissan and Honda,” it added.Honda and Nissan’s partnership could include a manufacturing tie-up where they build vehicles at each other’s plants, local media said.- ‘Panic mode’ -Nissan chief Makoto Uchida praised Honda’s agility and ability to adapt as the industry shifts, praising the company as “a partner who can share the sense of crisis about the future”.”As the business environment for automakers changes in the future, I believe we will not be able to get there unless we have the courage to change ourselves,” Uchida said.Nissan has weathered a turbulent decade, including the 2018 arrest of former boss Carlos Ghosn, who later jumped bail and fled Japan concealed in a music equipment box.Ghosn told reporters in Tokyo on Monday via video link from Lebanon, where he is at large, that turning to its arch-rival Honda showed that Nissan was in “panic mode”.Although the two companies might be able to “find synergies for the future… I don’t see anything obvious into this partnership or this alliance”, Ghosn said.