US equity markets advanced for s third session as US officials signalled progress on US-China trade talks - Dow rose +105-points or +0.25% Nike Inc +3.17% was the leading performer in the 30-stock index, while Merck & Co Inc (+2.55%) and Walt Disney Co (+2.65%) gained over >2.5%. International Business Machines (IBM) Corp climbed +1.53% to a fresh record closing high of US$276.24 after the company outlined what is called a “viable path” to building the world’s first "fault-tolerant" quantum computer by the end of the decade named IBM Quantum Starling. IBM also booked its longest winning streak since December 2023, recording its eighth consecutive session advance after announcing plans to build what it calls “the world’s first large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer” by 2029, saying it will make way for practical and scalable quantum computing. McDonald’s Corp fell -1.43% after the fast food giant received its third broker downgrade in three-days.
