Eager to project confidence in turbulent markets, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and Nike announced plans separately on Monday to buy back a combined $53 billion of their companies’ stock, a move that could benefit shareholders and attract new investors.

European shares soared in afternoon trade on Friday, driven by a temporary ban on short sales of financial stocks in the United States and Britain.

By 1149 GMT, the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was up 6.9 per cent at 1,136.75 points,

At the LinuxWorld conference in San Francisco, IBM executive Bob Sutor talks about what a desktop will mean in the future, saying it will focus more on mobile devices like iPhones and collaborations across platforms.

European shares gave up their early advance on Wednesday as an initial rebound in banking shares fizzled out, although a rise in mining stocks helped stem the slide in the broader market.

Indian shares fell 0.6 percent to their lowest in more than a year early on Monday, weighed down by political uncertainties and high global oil prices.