New York — US treasury prices rose and world stocks were up slightly on Wednesday ahead of the release of minutes from the Federal Reserve’s September policy meeting, while the euro rose after Catalonia held off on moving towards independence. Spanish stocks rallied and the euro reached a two-week high after Catalonia’s leader, Carles Puigdemont, declined to make a formal independence declaration on Tuesday to allow for talks with Madrid. This disappointed many pro-independence supporters but pleased financial markets. The euro move helped push the dollar index down for the fourth day in row. The dollar was weak ahead of Fed minutes and on uncertainties about the prospects for US tax reform. Wall Street’s major stock indices trod water as a jump in shares of consumer staples was offset by a drop in financials a day before the start of the quarterly reporting season. "Third-quarter results of large banks are expected to be tepid," said Stephen Biggar, an analyst at Argus Research. "T...
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