NEW YORK (Reuters) – World equity markets edged higher and oil prices stabilized on Wednesday on hopes the coronavirus pandemic is peaking and that more government stimulus measures could be on the way.
After U.S. stock markets closed on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said the United States may be getting to the top of the coronavirus curve, suggesting the number of cases and fatalities may have peaked.
The Trump administration asked Congress for an additional $250 billion in emergency economic aid for small U.S. businesses reeling from the impact of the outbreak.
Early gains in the U.S. helped push MSCI’s index of global equities up 0.69% after a broad rally in Japan and modest declines in Europe.
In morning trading on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 349.75 points, or 1.54%, to 23,003.61, the S&P 500 gained 36.71 points, or 1.38%,