U.S. stock futures were up this morning as investors were heartened by news that UBS and Lehman Brothers are issuing $18 billion in equity.

Here at home, Statistics Canada reported that manufactured products prices edged up in February, as higher prices for primary metals were partly offset by lower prices for motor vehicles.

From January to February, the Industrial Product Price Index (IPPI), rose 0.1%, a marked slowdown compared with the increases of 1.1% in December and 1.0% in January, said the federal agency.

The Canadian dollar opened down 0.02 of a cent from Monday’s close, at 97.40 cents US this morning.

In banking news, UBS announced a US$19 billion write-down and that it plans to issue another $15 billion in shares. As well, the Swiss bank said it is expecting Q1 net losses of $12 billion. The firm’s chairman, Marcel Ospel, also announced his resignation.

Also in the financial sector, Deutsche Bank reported a US$3.9 billion charge.

In M&A news, the Wall Street Journal reported that Microsoft Corp. is not planning to raise its offer to buy Yahoo Inc.

Gold futures tumbled US$19.70, or 2%, to US$901.80 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange. For the month of March, gold futures fell 5.2%, to US$50.60. But for Q1, it still gained US$86.60 an ounce, up 10.3%.

Meanwhile, crude oil fell below US$100 a barrel in overnight trading, and was at US$100.94 a barrel on the Nymex this morning.

Overseas markets were generally up, as Tokyo’s Nikkei index gained 1%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index moved ahead 1.25%.

European markets also made gains, with the FTSE 100 index up 0.8% near midday in London, while the German DAX advanced 1.4% and the Paris CAC 40 gained 1.5%.

The Pound sterling was at $2.0360 down 0.11 of a cent, and US$1.9831 down 0.14 of a cent. Meanwhile, the Euro was worth $1.6072, down 1.34 cents.

Commodities stocks weighed on Toronto markets Monday, but strength in financials tempered losses and the S&P/TSX composite index closed up 116.34 points, or 0.88%, at 13,350.13.

The financials group kept the TSX benchmark index from sinking yesterday, by gaining 3.34%.

The junior S&P/TSX Venture composite index closed down 8.93 points, or 0.35%, at 2,517.56.

In New York, new plans to regulate financial markets combined with a better-than-expected reading from the Chicago Purchasing Managers Index kept markets in the black Monday.

The Dow gained 46.49 points, or 0.38%, to end at 12,262.89. The S&P 500 gained 7.48 points, or 0.57%, to close at 1,322.70.

As well, the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index closed up 17.92 points, or 0.79%, at 2,279.10.

For the month of March, the Dow dipped 0.03% and the S&P 500 slipped 0.6%, but the Nasdaq edged up 0.3%.

For the first quarter, the Dow fell 7.6%, the S&P 500 was down 9.9% and the Nasdaq lost 14.1%.

For all three benchmarks, it was the worst quarterly performance since the third quarter of 2002.