· Wall Street’s main indexes closed at record levels for a third straight day in a muted volume session on Wednesday ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, as fresh data pointed to an economy on solid footing, while investors remained cautiously optimistic about a resolution to U.S.-China trade tensions.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 42.32 points, or 0.15%, to 28,164, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 13.13 points, or 0.42%, to 3,153.65 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 57.24 points, or 0.66%, to 8,705.18.
U.S. economic growth picked up slightly in the third quarter, rather than slowing as first reported, and a steady increase in consumer spending in October indicated the economy will probably maintain its moderate pace of growth in the fourth quarter.
Consumer discretionary stocks .SPLRCD rose 0.83 to lead all sectors.
Data also showed new orders for key U.S.-made capital goods increased by the most in nine months in October.
President Donald Trump’s comments on Tuesday that the United States was in the “final throes” of work on an agreement with China added to optimism.
· Stocks in Asia traded mixed on Thursday morning as bills backing protesters in Hong Kong were signed into law by U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday.
The Nikkei 225 in Japan rose 0.15% in early trade while the Topix index was fractionally higher. South Korea’s Kospi, on the other hand, slipped 0.3% as shares of steelmaker Posco declined about 1%.
Meanwhile, shares in Australia rose in morning trade, with the S&P/ASX 200 0.26% higher.
Overall, the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index was largely flat.
Thai
Eng