Stocks, commodities march higher; dollar down

World stocks rose on Monday while gold, oil and other commodities rallied as upbeat economic data and a weakening dollar underpinned raw material prices and related shares.

Friday's data showing a wider U.S. trade deficit and weaker consumer sentiment weighed on the dollar, which is already under pressure from expectations that the Federal Reserve will leave interest rates near zero for some time to come.

A weaker U.S. currency encourages investors to buy dollar-priced commodities, which also benefit from expectations for a strong global economic recovery. >>