London — European and Asian shares hovered near four-month highs on Tuesday as investors took heart from some progress in China-US trade talks, while the yen dribbled lower as Japan's central bank said it could ease policy again. World markets were struggling a bit for direction after a slow but buoyant start to the week and with a new round of China-US trade talks, this time in Washington, being held later. Stocks traders were largely happy to keep their powder dry. Europe's main bourses spent most of their first hour dithering before eventually heading lower after a subdued Asian session had seen most markets there barely get out of first gear. Currency dealers had at least a bit more to keep them busy. The yen had slipped to ¥110.70 per dollar after Japan's central bank governor had said it could redeploy stimulus if the yen's relative strength this year hurt the economy and inflation prospects. The euro was just above $1.13 after more talk of ultra-cheap ECB bank loans, while Sw...

Subscribe now to unlock this article.

Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).

There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.

Cancel anytime.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.