US equity markets opened the new month with modest gains, settling near their session highs as Wall Street shook off increasing trade tensions between the US and China - Dow inched +35-points or +0.08% higher Boeing Co +2.00% to US$211.47, buoyed by an upgrade to ‘Buy’ (and upgraded target price of US$260) from ‘Hold’ by analysts at Bank of America Securities, who observed that the company’s “aircraft have emerged as a favoured trade mechanism in recent U.S. trade negotiations, which we suspect will continue.” The analysts report also noted that “Given the progress made under [Chief Executive Officer] Kelly Ortberg’s leadership, we are more confident in the company’s turnaround.”
