US markets settled with modest gains as investors remained confident of a trade resolution of sorts and ahead of tonight’s AEST key non-farm payrolls report - Dow settled +22-points or +0.10% higher after trading in the red for much of the session. Nike Inc (up +%) was among the leading index performers after Goldman Sachs upgraded the company to ‘Buy’ from ‘Neutral’, saying it saw the group as a “unique asset” with China as a “key driver of growth”. The broader S&P500 added +0.10%, NASDAQ +0.50%. Investors remained optimistic about a U.S. - China trade deal after a spokesman for China’s Ministry of Commerce, Gao Feng, said at a weekly briefing on Thursday (5 December) that negotiations toward a so-called phase-one pact to cease tariff hostilities between the world’s largest economies are progressing. However, Mr Feng emphasised that China wants a rollback of existing tariffs to be included as a part of any resolution.
