Global markets surged ahead Monday, as bargain-buyers moved in following sell-offs triggered by virus spikes and the reimposition of economically damaging containment measures. As the coronavirus death toll topped one million, the World Health Organization warned that figure could double without more global collective action. But major indices took little notice as the Dow Jones and the tech-rich Nasdaq both added around 1.5 percent minutes after the opening bell. Despite the swirling clouds of Brexit uncertainty, London added 1.8 percent while Frankfurt and Paris were more than 2 percent ahead two hours from the end of the European session. "Investors appear to be warming towards equities and other risk assets again," said Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst with ThinkMarket. "The relatively low COVID-linked deaths mean investors are not showing too much concern towards rising virus cases. Instead, they remain optimistic over the potential approval of a vaccine soon, which together with ongoing central bank support will probably help accelerate the recovery," Razaqzada added. Elsewhere, investors kept an eye on Monday's resumption of trade talks between Britain and the European Union, hoping for a breakthrough despite feuding over a controversial UK bill that threatens to scupper a deal. The pound rallied against the dollar and euro before falling back slightly on optimism surrounding the latest talks -- and after a Bank of England official dismissed talk of possible negative interest rates to boost the UK economy. Traders were also awaiting the first US presidential debate this week, which could prove crucial in determining November's election, with many worried that a close vote might mean the result is delayed or even challenged by the loser. On the corporate front, HSBC shares surged more than eight percent in London following news that its biggest investor Ping An Insurance Group had increased its stake in the bank. Shares in steel giant ArcelorMittal soared almost nine percent after the firm said it would merge its US operations with producer Cleveland-Cliffs. New York - Dow Jones: UP 1.5 percent at 27,571.57 London - FTSE 100: UP 1.8 percent at 5,944.66 points Frankfurt - DAX 30: UP 2.8 percent at 12,814.80 Paris - CAC 40: UP 2.2 percent at 4,832.14 EURO STOXX 50: UP 2.5 percent at 3,213.88 Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.3 percent at 23,511.62 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng: UP 1.0 percent at 23,476.05 (close) Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.1 percent at 3,217.53 (close) Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2882 from $1.2739 at 2030 GMT on Friday Euro/pound: DOWN at 90.65 pence from 91.23 pence Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1678 from $1.1626 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 105.48 yen from 105.59 yen West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.5 percent at $40.44 per barrel Brent North Sea crude: UP 0.4 percent at $42.11 per barrel dan-bcp/rfj/cdw/wai