· Stocks rose on Thursday as trade talks between China and the U.S. restarted, but fears that the economy may be slowing down persisted.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 91.87 points to 25,717.46 as shares of Nike and J.P. Morgan Chase outperformed. The S&P 500 gained 0.4 percent to 2,815.44. The broad index is also headed for its best first-quarter performance since 1998, rising 12.3 percent. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.3 percent to close at 7,669.17.
· European shares traded slightly lower on average Thursday as growth fears offset substantial gains on trade developments.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 index hovered around the flat-line in afternoon trade, closing provisionally 0.11 percent lower.
Investors monitored news of progress in U.S.-Sino trade negotiations. A Reuters report said China has offered "unprecedented" proposals to allay U.S. concerns over forced technology transfers. Officials from both countries are due to meet for a fresh round of discussions Thursday.
But equities were under pressure amid jitters over a slowdown in economic growth. Bond markets have in the past week signaled a U.S. recession may be coming, with the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield recently falling below that of the 3-month bill, in what is known as a yield curve inversion.
· Shares in Asia rose in Friday morning trade as trade negotiations between the U.S. and China continue in Beijing.
The Nikkei 225 in Japan rose 0.9 percent in early trade as shares of conglomerate and index heavyweight Softbank Group jumped 1.66 percent, while the Topix index added 0.78 percent.
In South Korea, the Kospi gained 0.32 percent, with chipmaker SK Hynix and automaker Hyundai Motor seeing their stock advance 0.97 percent and 0.84 percent, respectively.
Reference: CNBC
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