U. S. President Donald Trump said in a tweet over the weekend that he had a „long and very good call“ with Chinese President Xi Jinping, touting „big progress“ in the deal making process between the two countries.
Stocks in Australia were higher in morning trade of the final day of 2018.
The ASX 200 rose 0.72 percent in morning trade, with almost all sectors seeing gains. Australia’s markets close at 11:10 a.m. HK/SIN today for New Year’s Eve.
The materials subindex Down Under gained more than 1 percent in the morning, as shares of major miners advanced. Rio Tinto rose 1.36 percent, Fortescue advanced 0.72 percent and BHP Billiton climbed up by 1.65 percent.
Markets in Japan and South Korea are closed today for public holidays.
The mainland Chinese markets, watched for much of 2018 in relation to Beijing’s ongoing trade war with Washington, are set to open at 9:30 a.
