AROUND THE WORLD'S MARKETS: NEW YORK

WALL STREET forged ahead in early trading with blue chips getting a lift on double witching day. By midday, the Dow Jones was up 73 points, or 0.674 per cent, at 11,037.

The "double witching" expiration of stock options and futures added to volatility as traders closed out positions. On Tuesday the Federal Reserve meets to decide whether to raise interest rates. Analyst expect a 25 basis points increase in short-term interest rate.