Markets across the globe are comforted by the  progress being made at the Fukushima nuclear plant to deal with overheating and radiation leaks, though the danger of a meltdown is far from over.

The Nikkei gained 4% at close of business this morning after a public holiday yesterday, following a bullish performance by the Dow Jones in the US, putting on around 1.5%, despite poor unemployment figures and this has stabilised the European markets also.

The World Bank has estimated the loss to Japan of the entire catastrophe at around US$235 billion

Good news elsewhere as some of Japan's largest motor manufacturers are about to restart production but the assembly lines depend on parts being available and the supply lines have been severely disrupted.