Financials rise after a strong show on Wall Street, though the gains were capped in some markets as commodity stocks came off their highs.

China’s decision to raise prices for gasoline and diesel fuel by up to 7.2%, in line with rising global crude-oil prices, boost shares of state-owned refiners such as Sinopec and PetroChina.

The United States long an exporter of popular culture may be exporting obesity to Europe Asia and Africa thanks to strong fast-food sales led by McDonald’s (MCD).The World Health Organization says about one billion people worldwide are now obese. Since 1980 the number of obese Europeans has tripled. By some estimates about half the population of the United Kingdom is overweight or obese.“The medical community is dumbfounded by the problem ” Dr. Bernadine Healy wrote recently in US News & World Report. “Across the developing world too obesity has become a major affliction as people move out of poverty.”Traditionally ...

Energy stocks rise with the broad market and oil prices as investors eyed bullish data on gross domestic product and a slew of earnings reports, even as Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell lost ground on the heels of their profit updates.

As steep losses in commodity prices send Asian resource stocks falling, some analysts says the shares’ weakness offers a buying opportunity, given strong Chinese demand and a weak outlook for the U.S. dollar.