· Stocks rose on Wednesday as investors grew hopeful that Chinese and U.S. trade authorities would reach an agreement before a deadline in early March.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 117.51 points to 25,543.27 as Walgreens Boots Alliance and 3M outperformed. Wednesday also marked the Dow's second straight day of gains. The S&P 500 gained 0.3 percent to 2,753.03, led by gains in the industrials and energy sectors. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.08 percent to 7,420.38.
· European stocks closed higher Wednesday, amid renewed optimism the world's two largest economies might be able to resolve their long-running trade dispute.
The pan-European Stoxx-600 closed provisionally up around 0.6 percent, with most sectors and major bourses in positive territory.
· Stocks in Asia traded cautiously on Thursday despite overnight optimism from a report, which said Chinese President Xi Jinping is "scheduled to meet" with high-level members of the U.S. delegation this week in Beijing.
Japan's Nikkei 225 and Topix were largely flat in early trade. Shares of Fast Retailing, the company behind the Uniqlo chain of apparel stores, slipped about 0.4 percent.
South Korea's Kospi slipped 0.6 percent.
Reference: CNBC
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