US markets hit highest since November on trade hopes
Live MintLondon: US equities climbed to almost four-month highs, tracking gains in Europe and Asia, after President Donald Trump postponed the date for boosting tariffs on Chinese imports, taken as a sign of progress in the trade talks. In Asia, the Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite Index rallied the most since 2015 and the yuan strengthened after Trump said he will delay the March 1 trade deadline, and as comments from China President Xi Jinping suggested top officials will focus on growth rather than cracking down on leverage. These are the main moves in markets: Stocks The S&P 500 Index rose 0.4% as of 12:55 p.m. New York time, while the Nasdaq Composite Index added 0.5% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.5%. Currencies The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose less than 0.1 percent, after reaching the lowest level in almost three weeks. The MSCI Emerging Markets Currency Index rose 0.4 percent, touching the highest in more than three weeks.