foreign markets up !!! 3 - 4 %

[spanone]

JAPAN
Nikkei
8,653.11
+301.20
+3.61%

HangSeng
14,192.49
+672.95
+4.98%

CHINA
Shanghai
2,436.00
+27.98
+1.16

[RB TexLa]

1. Considering they usually follow our market which was up around 2% hardly a surprise.

Usually meaning without significant domestic factors on their market.

[ben_jenne]

2. Asian Stocks Surge on Growth Optimism; Nissan, OneSteel Climb

Nissan, Honda, Toyota did better than "predicted" and they are anticipating the demise of the American auto industry.



http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=ayqpUbb8FLy8&refer=home

[Pirate Smile]

3. WSJ: "Auto Makers See a Ray of Hope " -"GM Points to 'the First Signs of Brightening'"

Auto Makers See a Ray of Hope
March Sales Fell 37%, but Drop Was Less Than in February; GM Points to 'the First Signs of Brightening'

By NEAL E. BOUDETTE and MATTHEW DOLAN
Despite reporting another major sales decline in March, auto makers expressed a rare bit of optimism Wednesday, saying they see signs the industry's downturn might be near bottom and a recovery could be starting.

All the big car makers suffered sales declines of 36% or more compared to March 2008. Industrywide, U.S. sales totaled 857,735 cars and light trucks, down 37% from a year earlier, according to Autodata Corp. But that's up from 688,909 vehicles sold in February and was the highest total since September. February's sales were down 41% from a year earlier.

The annualized sales pace, a closely watched indicator, came in at 9.86 million vehicles, well below the 16 million or more the industry typically logged a few years ago, but up from February's pace of 9.12 million.

"I believe we are in a bottoming process for the industry," Bob Carter, a group vice president at Toyota Motor Corp., said in a conference call. Mr. Carter said the company's 18% sales improvement in March compared with February could be "a very early indication that we have floored and some optimism is starting to return to the market."

Michael DiGiovanni, the top sales analyst at General Motors Corp., said he expects a "very, very gradual pickup" in vehicle sales in the second quarter. He cited "the first signs of brightening" in the market. Jim Press, Chrysler LLC's vice chairman and president, said, "The market is starting to show small signs of life which need to be nourished like seedlings." Chrysler, like GM, is seeking additional aid from the government.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123859954307378495.html