· U.S. stock index futures were higher Wednesday morning, with market participants hopeful that Chinese and U.S. trade authorities will reach an agreement.
At around 2:18 a.m. ET, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose 108 points, indicating a positive open of more than 112 points. Futures on the S&P and Nasdaq were also seen slightly higher.
· European stocks opened higher Wednesday morning, amid renewed optimism the world's two largest economies might be able to resolve their long-running trade dispute.
The pan-European Stoxx-600 was up around 0.3 percent shortly after the opening bell, with most sectors and major bourses in positive territory.
Market focus is largely attuned to global trade developments, after President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he could be tempted to push back the March 1 deadline for reaching a trade agreement with China if the two sides were close a deal.
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· Major stock markets in Asia closed higher on Wednesday amid positive sentiment on the U.S.-China trade front.
The mainland Chinese markets were higher on the day. The Shenzhen component rose 2.012 percent to close at 8,171.21 and the Shenzhen composite gained 1.872 percent to finish its trading day at 1,389.68. The Shanghai composite recovered from earlier losses to close 1.84 percent higher at 2,721.07.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gained more than 1 percent, in its final hour of trading.
The broad MSCI Asia ex-Japan index traded higher by 0.56 percent at 516.59 as of 3:18 p.m. HK/SIN, holding near levels not seen since early Oct. 2018.
· Japan’s Nikkei rose to a near two-month high on Wednesday on optimism that Washington and Beijing may be nearing a deal to end their trade dispute.
The Nikkei share average surged 1.3 percent to 21,144.48 points, the highest closing level since Dec. 17.
The broader Topix gained 1.1 percent to 1,589.33.
“Investors are taking heart from the positive note from Wall Street yesterday, but volatility could persist depending on more headlines,” said Takuya Takahashi, a strategist at Daiwa Securities.
· Chinese shares jumped on Wednesday, rising for a fourth straight session, after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested the deadline for Beijing and Washington to strike a trade deal could be pushed back.
The Shanghai Composite index closed 1.8 percent higher at 2,721.07 points, a level not seen since Oct. 10, 2018. The blue-chip CSI300 index rose 2 percent to its highest point since late September.
Reference: CNBC, Reuters
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