· Stocks rose slightly on Tuesday after President Donald Trump hinted once again he may push back a key trade deadline. Equities also got a boost following strong quarterly numbers from Walmart.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed as much as 78.19 points before ending the day up 8.07 points at 25,891.32. The S&P 500 gained 0.15 percent to close at 2,779.76 as the materials sector outperformed. The Nasdaq Composite closed 0.2 percent higher at 7,486.77 as Amazon and Netflix both rose more than 1 percent.
· Trump said Tuesday that trade talks with China are going well, adding the current March deadline is not a "magical date." Both countries have until then to come up with a deal. Otherwise, additional U.S. tariffs on Chinese products could take effect. Trump indicated last week, however, he would be willing to push back the deadline.
· European stocks closed lower on Tuesday as market participants anxiously waited for details from the latest round of U.S.-China trade talks.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 was down 0.2 percent at the closing bell, with most major bourses in negative territory.
Europe's banking index led the losses, down almost 0.9 percent amid earnings news. HSBC was the worst sectoral performer, after reporting disappointing annual profit figures on Tuesday. Europe's largest bank also warned an economic slowdown in China, as well as Brexit uncertainty, would most likely throw up further hurdles in 2019. Shares of the London-listed stock were 4 percent lower at the end of the session.
· Stocks in Asia traded higher on Wednesday morning, following the gains seen in major U.S. major indexes overnight on the back of U.S. President Donald Trump hinting once again that a closely watched trade deadline in March may be pushed back.
Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.37 percent in early trade while the Topix gained 0.31 percent as shares of robot maker Fanuc advanced 0.23 percent. Over in South Korea, the Kospi added 0.6 percent.
The ASX 200 in Australia rose 0.19 percent in morning trade as the sectors traded mixed. The materials subindex jumped 1.62 percent as shares of major miners saw strong gains. Rio Tinto added 2.18 percent, BHP Billiton advanced 1.73 percent while Fortescue Metals Group surged 6.46 percent after the company announced first half profits which beat estimates.
Reference: CNBC
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