Asian stocks on Monday moved further away from four-year lows struck last week, as a cold spell in parts of the northern hemisphere pushed oil prices higher and relieved some of the bearish pressure on global markets.
World equities also took heart from the European Central Bank last week signalling additional monetary easing steps to come, raising hopes that other central banks, like the Bank of Japan, would take the same path.
Spreadbetters forecast a higher open for Britain's FTSE, Germany's DAX and France's CAC against the positive backdrop for equities.
The dollar stood tall, notably against the safe-haven yen, as risk aversion eased slightly for now and pushed U.S. Treasury yields higher.