Financial markets were broadly stable today as investors grappled with the implications of the terror attacks and looked ahead to the resumption of Wall Street trading.
Volumes remained very thin, but traders said a $120 billion fund injection by world central banks to ease a possible banking cash crunch had helped restore calm.
Stocks in Europe were about 0.80 per cent higher, leaving the pan-European FTSE Eurotop 300 index about 6 per cent below where it was before two hijacked planes slammed into and destroyed New York's World Trade Center.
Equities trading in New York will resume as early as Friday and no later than Monday, New York Stock Exchange chairman Mr Richard Grasso said last night.
US Treasuries will resume trading today, with futures contracts already changing hands in Singapore - indicating investors are factoring in an inter-meeting cut in interest rates by the US Federal Reserve.
The dollar was little changed against the euro and Swiss franc.
Economists have said the attacks risk tipping the US into recession if consumers react to fear and uncertainty by cutting back on spending.
Investors were also looking ahead to the meeting of the European Central Bank, which will announce interest rate policy at 12.45 p.m. No rate change is expected, despite the anticipated global impact of the US disaster.
Speculation was rife the world's major central banks could unleash a co-ordinated round of monetary easing as they did when Wall Street crashed in 1987, even though ECB President Mr Wim Duisenberg played down the possibility of a rushed response yesterday.
Oil futures trading in London were stable, with October Brent trading down 16 cents at $27.86 a barrel. Gold bullion, the traditional safe haven in times of crisis, fixed in London at $278.50 a troy ounce, half a cent down from the previous day's close.