· The S&P 500 ended little changed on Tuesday, with a rally in energy and industrial shares countering a drop in the technology and real estate sectors as investors favored value over growth.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 73.92 points, or 0.28%, to 26,909.43, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 0.96 points, or 0.03%, to 2,979.39 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dropped 3.28 points, or 0.04%, to8,084.16.
Investors expect the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank to cut rates to bolster the global economy. Germany’s finance minister suggested the nation was prepared to fight a possible recession with a stimulus package.
· European stocks traded flat Tuesday with investor focus attuned to an impending meeting of the European Central Bank (ECB), with markets cautiously hopeful of a monetary stimulus package later this week.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 pared early losses to trade 0.07% up by the close, technology stocks slipping 1.1% while the banks and oil & gas stocks both gained 2.1%.
Investors are looking ahead to an impending ECB policy decision, with markets hoping for a fresh stimulus package to be announced Thursday in a bid to boost the beleaguered euro zone economy.
· Shares in Asia traded higher on Wednesday following a muted session overnight stateside that left stocks on Wall Street little changed.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 rose 0.27% in early trade while the Topix index gained 0.44%.
South Korea’s Kospi also added 0.7%. Over in Australia the S&P/ASX 200 advanced 0.22%.
Overall, the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index rose 0.12%.
Shares of Apple suppliers in the region traded higher on Wednesday following the unveiling of the Cupertino-based tech giant’s latest products on Tuesday.
Japanese component supplier Murata Manufacturing rose 1.01% and Sharp jumped 3.67%, while South Korea’s LG Display traded 1.05% higher.
Investors will also continue to monitor for developments on the trade front, with the South China Morning Post reporting Tuesday that China has offered to increase U.S. agricultural purchases in exchange for a delay in tariffs and easing of a supply ban against telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies.
Reference: CNBC
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