London (AFP) - Most stock markets and the dollar rose on Wednesday as investors track talks aimed at breaking an impasse over raising the US debt ceiling.
All eyes remain on Washington, where lawmakers remain deadlocked in negotiations to lift the country's borrowing limit to pay its debts and avert a market-rattling default.
The euro slid to $1.0814, the lowest level since early April, in a broad dollar rally as the greenback benefitted from its status as a safe bet in times of economic turmoil.
"The greenback is finding support as lawmakers in Washington seem unable to reach an agreement over the lifting of the debt ceiling," said ActivTrades analyst Ricardo Evangelista.
"The standoff between Democrats and Republicans is likely to continue and, if unresolved, could have serious consequences for the US and global economy."
US President Joe Biden met Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday after saying staff-level talks had produced no shift.
McCarthy told reporters there was still "a lot of work to do" before the country runs out of cash, which the Treasury has warned will happen around June 1.
There was a sliver of light, as he said he ultimately expected a deal.
And the White House said Biden was "optimistic that there is a path to a responsible, bipartisan budget agreement if both sides negotiate in good faith".
In a bid to get an agreement over the line, the president -- who flies to Japan on Wednesday for a G7 summit -- scrapped subsequent stops in Papua New Guinea and Australia, instead planning to return to Washington on Sunday.
Despite the lack of concrete progress in the talks, equity investors seemed mollified by the statements and Wall Street's main stock indices rose at the open.
European shares were also mostly higher in afternoon trading.
Despite the lack of a debt deal, "the spin coming out of that meeting is that it was a positive meeting, that a bipartisan deal can still get done to prevent a default", said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare.
O'Hare said it was a "guarded trade", however, as any deal would have to then be followed by a vote in Congress.
Japan growth boosts Nikkei
Asia indices enjoyed mixed fortunes but star performer Tokyo jumped after figures showed Japan's economy grew more than expected in January-March thanks to a surge in tourism after pandemic border restrictions were lifted.
The figures helped push the Nikkei 225 to a 20-month high and it has now piled on more than 15 percent since the turn of the year.
Analysts said the strong market performance has been helped by corporate reforms and Bank of Japan's ultra-loose monetary policies.
- Key figures around 1330 GMT -
New York - Dow: UP 0.4 percent at 33,150.78 points
London - FTSE 100: DOWN less than 0.1 percent at 7,748.61
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.6 percent at 15,989.73
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.2 percent at 7,419.26
EURO STOXX 50: UP 0.4 percent at 4,330.76
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.8 percent at 30,093.59 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 2.1 percent at 19,560.57 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.2 percent at 3,284.23 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0835 from $1.0862 on Tuesday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2474 from $1.2488
Dollar/yen: UP at 137.14 yen from 136.39 yen
Euro/pound: DOWN at 86.79 pence from 86.98 pence
Brent North Sea crude: UP 1.5 percent at $76.01 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.6 percent at $71.96 per barrel
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