SHARES RISE ON OPTIMISM ABOUT TRUMP-XI TALKS

Asian shares rallied yesterday as confirmation that the leaders of the United States and China would meet raised hopes for progress on trade talks ahead of a looming tariff deadline.

- NUNTAWUN POLKUAMDEE NAREERAT WIRIYAPONG

The SET index moved in a range of 1,281.80 and 1,321.57 points this week, before closing yesterday at 1,313.91, up 3.1% from the previous week, with daily turnover averaging 40.83 billion baht.

Brokerage firms were net buyers of 5.59 billion baht, followed by foreign investors at 5.54 billion. Retail investors were net sellers of 6.6 billion baht, followed by institutional investors at 4.53 billion.

NEWSMAKERS: The White House confirmed that President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet when they attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in South Korea next week, easing concerns over trade friction.

■ The US announced new sanctions targeting Russia's two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, a day after Trump shelved a planned meeting with President Vladimir Putin in an effort to pressure Moscow to negotiate a peace deal in Ukraine.

■ Gold prices were on track for their first weekly decline in 10 weeks, weighed down by a stronger dollar and easing concerns about trade. Spot gold was down 3.8% from a week ago, at around $4,060 an ounce.

■ China's economy grew 4.8% year-on-year in the third quarter, keeping the country largely on track to achieve its full-year target. The reading was the weakest in a year but in line with expectations despite the ongoing real estate slump.