Global stock indexes ended with mostly slight losses on Wednesday after U. S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said it was too early to predict an outcome in U. S.-China trade talks, although a jump in oil prices lifted shares of energy companies.
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Global stock indexes ended with mostly slight losses on Wednesday after U. S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said it was too early to predict an outcome in U. S.-China trade talks, although a jump in oil prices lifted shares of energy companies.
Lighthizer also told a congressional hearing that U. S. issues with China were “too serious” to be resolved with promises from Beijing.
Hopes for a resolution of the trade conflict had bolstered stock markets in recent sessions. U. S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he would delay a self-imposed March 1 deadline to raise tariffs on Chinese imports after “productive” trade talks.
“The general consensus is talks are progressing but it may not be full speed ahead,” said Bucky Hellwig, senior vice president at BB&T Wealth Management in Birmingham, Alabama.
The safe-haven dollar rose from a three-week low as investors grew cautious about U.
