Talks of U.S. stimulus drive foreign markets

Japan’s benchmark stock index is on a bit of a roll. The Nikkei rose 300 points today, or more than 3 percent. That’s the third consecutive day of gains.
   
Investors took heart from comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on further steps to shore up the sluggish U.S. economy.
   
The recent gains mark a strong rebound from last Thursday when the key stock index plummeted more than 11 percent—the biggest one-day loss since 1987—as jittery investors fretted over growing recession fears.