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Worldwide financial news for the week

Lower than expected inflation numbers sent stocks higher Thursday as traders looked for reasons for the Federal Reserve to end its streak of short-term interest rate hikes. In the first hour of trading, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 32.39, or 0.31 percent, to 10,577.29. Crude oil futures rose. A barrel of light crude was quoted at $65.38, up 29 cents, in electronic pre-opening trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Japan`s Nikkei stock average rose 1.19 percent. In afternoon trading on Thursday, Britain`s FTSE 100 was up 0.66 percent, Germany`s DAX index was up 0.01 percent, and France`s CAC-40 was up 0.43 percent. Sobering news came out of the airline industry as both Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines filed for bankruptcy protection Wednesday, as they had been expected to do. The two air carriers have been handicapped by high fuel prices and internal labor problems. Delta rose 11 cents, to 82 cents a share, while Northwest fell 93 cents, to 94 cents a share.