US, European and asian stocks start Dec with big jump on signs of economic growth

BANGKOK: Asian stock markets rose sharply Thursday after improved economic indicators powered big gains on Wall Street and worries eased about Europe's debt problems.

Signs that the U.S. job market thawed in November jump-started the advance. ADP Employer Services, a payroll company, said small businesses added the largest amount of workers in three years last month, well ahead of what analysts had forecast. Improved economic growth in the U.S., the world's No. 1 economy, would be a boon for export-reliant Asia.