Asian shares scaled an 18-month high on Friday while oil prices stayed buoyant in a holiday-shortened week, as investor optimism improved on hopes a US-China trade deal would soon be signed. In early European trade, the pan-region Euro Stoxx 50 futures added 0.4 per cent, German DAX futures rose 0.6 per cent while FTSE futures were up 0.5 per cent. In an indication of a positive start on Wall Street, the S&P 500 e-mini futures gained 0.12 per cent. Brent crude, the global benchmark, extended gains into a fourth session, hitting $68.10 per barrel, the highest since mid-September. The dollar index was a shade weaker at 97.440 against a basket of six major currencies, with the euro up a notch and the British pound mostly flat.

Source: The Irish Times December 27, 2019 10:30 UTC