Treasuries were steady after the gap between 5- and 30-year yields widened Wednesday to a four-year high. Some equity markets will shut early Thursday for Christmas holidays and then most will be closed Friday.
Most Asian stocks climbed Thursday and the pound advanced as an outline of the post-Brexit trade deal appeared to soothe investor nerves heading into the Christmas holiday period.
Shares rose in Australia, Japan and South Korea. US equity futures edged up after the S&P 500 finished on Wednesday just 0.1% higher with the Nasdaq Composite and Russell 2000 indexes setting intraday records. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. sank more than 8% in Hong Kong after China kicked off an investigation into alleged monopolistic practices at the tech giant.
