US markets gained ground, buoyed by fresh signs of progress in resolving the trade dispute between the US and China along with some merger and acquisition (M&A) activity. However, equities pared gains late in the session after Reuters reported that President Trump, in an interview, escalated his criticism of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and higher interest rates and accused China and Europe of manipulating their currencies - Dow up +89-points or +0.35% The broader S&P500 rose +0.24% (to 2,857.05) to settle within 15 points or 0.6% of an all time record high , The technology-centric NASDAQ +0.06%, with Netflix gaining +3.5% Food and drink giant PepsiCo Inc (down -0.10%) announced it was buying Israel-based firm SodaStream International Ltd (up +9.44%) for US$3.2B or US$144 per share. Elsewhere on the M&A front, Tyson Foods Inc rose +1.6% after confirming it was buying Keystone Foods, a chicken-processing company that supplies McDonald's Corp and other chains, for US$2.16B in cash.
