Shares rise slightly after Bernanke comments

Shares have edged higher after Ben Bernanke said he was hopeful the US would not fall back into a double-dip recession.

Following the comments overnight by the chairman of the US Federal Reserve, Japan's main Nikkei index ended up 0.2% or 17 points.

On Monday, the Nikkei had plunged 4%, its biggest one-day fall for 14 months.

In Europe, the UK's FTSE 100 was up 0.2% in initial trading, while Germany's Dax had added 0.1%.

However, France's Cac extended losses, down 1.2%.

In Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index climbed 0.4%, while Australian shares advanced 0.9%.

Shares in Shanghai, South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore had also risen.

"My best guess is we will have a continued recovery, but it won't feel terrific," said Mr Bernanke.

His comments came after Wall Street's main Dow Jones index ended Monday down 1.2%.

Japanese market analysts said shares in the country were also lifted by investors picking up bargains following Monday's big declines.