Amsterdam - The main index of the Dutch stock exchange AEX rose sharply on Monday following the US government's bail-out of American largest mortgage banks Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on Sunday.

By 10:23 am (8:23 AM GMT) the AEX had risen by 3.89 per cent, with the financial funds gaining most.

Belgian-Dutch bank and insurance company Fortis rose 8.65 per cent and stood at 9.907 euros.

Insurer Aegon stood at 8.525 euros, up by 7.68 per cent, followed by ING Bank which rose by 7.64 per cent. Employment agency Randstad came in fourth, with shares rising 7.02 per cent.

Dutch-British food company Unilever was the only one to drop, down by 0.10 per cent.

London - Shares in leading British banks rallied strongly on the London Stock Exchange Monday following news of the US government's bail-out of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Frankfurt - The DAX index of the 30 top German shares clawed back much of last week's losses in early trade Monday, rising more than 3 per cent on news of a government bail-out for battered US mor

Seoul - Shares surged more than 5 per cent Monday on the Seoul Stock Exchange as investor sentiment was boosted by the US government decision to bail out struggling mortgage giants Fannie Mae and