North Korea's leader delayed the decision of firing missiles towards Guam
And, even oil prices were down more than 1% over a report of rise in Opec production
A mixed batch of earnings reports left US and European stock indexes lower
Meanwhile, oil prices were headed for a weekly gain of over 4% on lower US stockpiles, among others
This comes a day after Fed Chair Janet Yellen signalled a less aggressive rise in interest rates
European Central Bank is readying to scale back its 2-trillion-euro stimulus programme
Q1 profits at S&P 500 companies are expected to have risen 13.6%, strongest rise since 2011
Emerging markets, except China and Russia, have done better than the US in 2017
Investors largely focused on French politics, as far-right leader Marine Le Pen launched her presidential bid
Oil futures rallied from one-week lows after the IEA said crude markets were tightening
Trump's call for tax cuts and more infrastructure spending have boosted US shares and the dollar
The brightening mood followed upbeat factory surveys from China, the eurozone and the US
US Treasury prices were slightly firmer as investors made minimal moves in holiday-shortened session
Yellen indicated the Fed remained on track to raise rates at its meeting next month
UK court rules that the British government need Parliament's approval to trigger Brexit
Hawkish Fed tone was softened by Fed Governor Daniel Tarullo, who said he wants to see more evidence of a sustained uptick in inflation
Sharp rise in oil prices came amid speculation that major producers could cooperate to tackle weak prices and rein in oversupply
Analysts said that a payrolls reading of around over 200,000 could prompt the Fed to consider raising rates at its next meeting
Asian shares rose to a one-year peak, lifted by a rise in US stocks to record highs a day earlier
European stock markets and Wall Street ventured back into positive territory today, buoyed by upbeat news from global retailers and other corporates. European stocks started the day mostly lower as the International Energy Agency (IEA) sent a stark reminder that the world economy is headed for Brexit-created uncertainty and therefore weaker oil demand. But investors took heart from the IEA's assertion that an oil production glut is still set to disappear by the end of the year, which prompted a bump in the oil price after earlier losses in Asia. This, in turn, boosted energy and commodities stocks, notably in London, where the FTSE 100 index reversed early losses to close 0.7 per cent higher. Paris even managed a gain of 1.2 per cent, while Frankfurt rose 0.9 per cent to close at a year-high. "European markets have been seeing unusual sessions these past few days," IG France analyst Alexandre Baradez said. "Volumes are low, and there are few economic data, but there's still a ...