U.S. stock futures rose as European leaders discussed plans to shore up the region’s currency.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy sought to craft a plan for rescuing the euro over the next three months. At a joint press conference after a meeting today, both Sarkozy and Merkel said they support a financial-transaction tax. Merkel said she isn’t intimidated by the risk of a credit-rating downgrade for euro-area governments.

World markets:

Hang Seng 18,866 +272.66 +1.47%

Shanghai Composite 2,226 +62.49 +2.89% 

FTSE  5,643 -6.75 -0.12%

CAC  3,151 +14.04 +0.45%

DAX 6,058 -0.09 0.00%

Crude Oil: $101.61  (+0,1%).

Gold: $1621.50  (+0,3%).