What happened yesterday?
Global stocks edged higher as investors weighed signs that scientists are making fast progress toward a coronavirus vaccine with news of fresh restrictions to curtail the spread. Bitcoin surged past $18,000 for the first time since December 2017 before paring gains.
The S&P 500 Index rose 0.2% at 12:11 p.m. New York time. The FTSE 100 gained 0.3% by close, to 6,385.24. The FTSE 250 closed 0.9% higher.
In terms of commodities, West Texas Intermediate crude gained 1.6% to $42.09 a barrel. Gold rose 0.1% to $1,881.92 an ounce.
In company news:
Following widespread criticism of its charges, Apple confirmed that it will be slashing App Store commission from the original 30% to 15% for developers that generate £830,000 or less in proceeds from the store each year.
Shares of Boeing climbed 5.9% in pre-market trading Wednesday after the Federal Aviation Administration cleared the company’s troubled 737 MAX to return to service.
Three of M&C Saatchi’s founders are set to depart the advertising group, in an attempt to draw a line under a year-long accounting scandal.
Pearson has unveiled a new division that will deliver products directly to consumers as it looks to harness the power of streaming models used by companies such as Netflix.