Morning Market Roundup: Obama ‘EU Could Hurt my Reelection,’ Stimulus vs Austerity at G20, BK Back on Market

Here’s what’s important in the business world this morning:

President Obama: President Barack Obama is acknowledging that Europe’s economic situation could have a spillover effect on his own re-election prospects.

As he wrapped up the Group of 20 economic summit of world leaders, Obama expressed confidence in Europe’s ability to right its own financial ship. He said he was hopeful that voters would validate his own efforts come November if he stayed focused on strengthening both the U.S. and world economies and creating more jobs at home.

“I’ve consistently believed that if we take the right policy steps, if we’re doing the right thing, then the politics will follow, and my mind hasn’t changed on that,” the president said a news conference in this Mexican resort Tuesday at the close of what is expected to be his last foreign trip before the November election.

Obama told reporters that in two days of intensive meetings, Europe’s leaders showed a “heightened sense of urgency.”

G-20: With major European economies on the brink of collapse, leaders concluding an annual Group of 20 meeting sought Tuesday to reassure the world that they would find a way to put out the debt-fueled economic wildfire that has threatened banks, wiped out jobs and toppled governments across the continent.

For months, governments and economists have weighed two different paths to ease the financial crisis: spending more to try to stimulate growth or slashing budgets.

The battle lines in the stimulus-versus-austerity debate were clearly drawn among the 24 heads of state gathered in a heavily guarded convention hall lined by a moat. The conservative leaders of the United Kingdom, South Korea and Germany came out decisively for austerity, warning that budget cuts were crucial to restoring fiscal order and worldwide confidence.

On the other side were left-leaning governments such as those in Argentina, Brazil and France that have denounced the German-imposed austerity plan for struggling countries such as Spain and Greece and pushed for more stimulus spending.

But the presidents and prime ministers gathered in this seaside resort seemed content to delay any major decisions for a while longer, releasing only a general statement that stopped short of committing any nations to greater spending unless conditions worsen and urging fiscal responsibility.

Burger King: Burger King will return to the New York Stock Exchange after the market opens Wednesday.

The world’s No. 2 hamburger chain last traded as a public company between 2006 and 2010. The company was then purchased and taken private by investment firm 3G Capital, which has been overhauling the chain’s operations.

Burger King’s listing on the exchange under the ticker “BKW” won’t be through an initial public offering, however. 3G Capital announced an unusual deal in April to sell a minority stake to Justice Holdings, a London-based entity that was specifically set up to invest in another company. Under the deal, Justice was to suspend trading on the London Stock Exchange once the deal was complete and emerge as Burger King Worldwide Inc. on the New York Stock Exchange.

U.S. Futures: Stock futures rose Wednesday as the Federal Reserve wraps up its two-day meeting.

The Fed will release a statement at 12:30 p.m. Eastern time. There is a broad anticipation that economic policymakers will either extend a program of buying long-term bonds to keep rates low, or at least signal a readiness to act should the economy sputter.

Dow Jones industrial average futures are up 23 points to 12,785. Standard & Poor’s 500 futures are rising 2.7 points to 1,353.30 and Nasdaq futures have added 8.75 points to 2,621.25.

The potential of a boost from the Fed overshadowed news from Procter & Gamble, which cut its fourth-quarter earnings and revenue forecasts Wednesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.