EUROZONE leaders’ agreement to pursue stricter budget rules to preserve the euro may be just enough to put a floor on a sell-off in risk assets into year-end, if not to turn around investor sentiment completely.

PRESIDENT Barack Obama proposed a budget yesterday that would cut the US deficit by $1.1 trillion over 10 years, setting the stage for a bitter fight with Republicans who vow even tougher spending controls.

Singapore: Global stocks stand a “decent chance” of a rally in the fourth quarter as investors are overly pessimistic about the outlook for economic growth, according to HSBC Global Asset Management.