LONDON: Global stock markets gained ground Wednesday on hopes of a breakthrough in the US-China trade spat.
The dollar rose and oil prices rallied on news that OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia pledged to cut output further, Oanda analyst Dean Popplewell said.
The pound weakened after official data showed UK inflation hit a two-year low and as the Brexit impasse drags on without a breakthrough in sight.
In the United States, President Donald Trump said he might extend his trade deal deadline with Beijing, while a report claimed his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping would meet top US officials, seeming to boost the prospects of an agreement.
High-level talks are to begin in the Chinese capital Thursday in a bid to ward off sharp US tariff hikes that could damage the global economy.
Trump said he could let his March 1 tariff deadline "slide for a little while" if the two sides were close to a meaningful deal, adding that he expects a summit with President Xi "at some point".
A report in the South China Morning Post said Xi would personally meet the US delegation in Beijing, suggesting a redoubled effort to make progress on a deal.
Washington is demanding changes from Beijing on what it says are unfair commercial practices. An agreement would stop US tariffs more than doubling on $200 billion in Chinese imports next month.
Tokyo stocks added a further 1.3 percent after Tuesday's gains to finish at a two-month high.
Hong Kong rose 1.2 percent, and Shanghai earned 1.8 percent on the news, following Wall Street's lead.
European equities also climbed, with London up 0.8 percent, and both Paris and Frankfurt gaining 0.6 percent in afternoon trading.
New York joined in as markets opened there, with the Dow up 0.7 percent in early exchanges.
Some analysts struck a cautious tone however, noting that much work needs to be completed before a framework agreement could be reached.
"The rally in stocks has been based on hope rather than any concrete agreements overnight," warned Oanda senior analyst Jeffrey Halley, predicting short-term volatility to come as headlines emerge from Beijing.
Franklin Pichard of Kiplink Finances forecast it could take "several more months to find a solution to outstanding issues."
Elsewhere, Sydney shed 0.3 percent, with calls for a snap election amid political tensions over refugees adding to underwhelming corporate earnings and subdued metal prices.
- Shutdown unlikely -
The New Zealand dollar soared 1.5 percent as the central bank held interest rates unchanged and forecast no moves until 2021 -- defying expectations it may follow dovish leads elsewhere by indicating a rate cut.
Renewed global investor confidence saw a movement away from the greenback -- which has enjoyed a strong rally in the past week -- to riskier currencies.
The pound briefly rose above $1.29 before falling back as Prime Minister Theresa May was accused by the opposition of "running down the clock" and "playing chicken" with Brussels over Brexit talks.
The yuan also earned back losses after it had dropped following the Lunar New Year break.
Trump's suggestion that another chaotic US government shutdown was now unlikely following a deal struck in Congress over border security further fuelled risk appetite.
The deal to offer nearly $1.4 billion for construction of a Mexico border wall, as well as other security measures, fell far short of Trump's demands but has been presented as a workable compAFP
"I don't think you're going to see a shutdown," said the president.
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