UNDATED - Investors around the world are breathing a sigh of relief on word of an agreement to raise the U.S. government's borrowing limit and avoid a possible American debt default.
Asian stock markets jumped Monday after President Barack Obama announced the deal from the White House.
Dow futures rose 1.5 percent. Future contracts for the broader S&P 500 index rose 1.6 percent. When futures are up during off-hours trading, stocks typically rise when the market opens.
A senior vice president at MF Global, John Brady, says if the deal is approved, he believes that ``stocks will rally, and stocks will rally big.''
But if the deal fails to pass in Congress, Brady says ``the rally will be torpedoed.''