An index of stocks across the globe hit a more than four-month high on Wednesday on hopes for progress in trade talks between the United States and China, and a supportive backdrop from major central banks also helped push risk assets higher. Crude prices rose to their 2019 highs helped by output cuts from top producers as well as U.S. sanctions on OPEC members Iran and Venezuela. Stocks started with a rally in Asia that pushed the MSCI world equity index to its highest since October after U.S. President Donald Trump said negotiations with China were going well and suggested he was open to extending the deadline to complete them beyond March 1.
