Someone forgot to tell investors in Facebook that the Europe situation remains on the brink of self-destruction.

Asian equities have gained overnight on continued positive momentumfrom Friday. Despite a lower than expected US GDP of 2.2%, equities rallied at the end of the week on the back of strong corporate earnings. However, this morning the FTSE 100 has fallen by 0.28% to 5761.62 at the beginning of a week of significant economic data.

US stocks were higher yesterday as Apple once again shattered analysts' expectations after reporting a 59% jump in revenues against the previous year to $39.2 billion. Earnings per share were more than $2 a share higher than consensus forecasts, reaching $12.30. Apple's shares surged by 9% yesterday to $610 a share, erasing most of the declines over the last two weeks after an explosive start to the year which has seen it add more than 50% to their market value.

One might have been forgiven for expecting the markets to have gone berserk yesterday. Socialist Francois Hollande's victory on Sunday, alongside another anti-climax in the Greek elections should have clouded the markets with uncertainty as investors grappled with an anti-austerity backlash.

Asian equities have gained overnight on continued positive momentumfrom Friday. Despite a lower than expected US GDP of 2.2%, equities rallied at the end of the week on the back of strong corporate earnings. However, this morning the FTSE 100 has fallen by 0.28% to 5761.62 at the beginning of a week of significant economic data.

Equity markets gave back most of last week's gains amid political uncertainty surrounding the Eurozone. Investors digested the prospective repercussions if French left-wing challenger Francois Hollande's goes onto secure the next round of France's presidential elections in May. While more disconcerting news was announced from the Netherlands as their coalition leader Mark Rutte tendered his government's resignation after clashes over fiscal policies.