Hopes of a ceasefire in the trade war between Washington and Beijing are boosting stocks * Introduction: Talks conclude after three days * China: We’re serious about a deal * US: Talks went just fine * Stocks jump 1% in Asia... up in Europe too * Markets are ‘climbing out of a hole’ 10.42am GMT SOME GOOD NEWS: UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE EURO AREA HAS HIT A NEW 10-YEAR LOW. The jobless rate dipped to 7.9% in November, down from 8.0% in October 2018 and from 8.7% in November 2017. Among the Member States, the lowest unemployment rates in November 2018 were recorded in CZECHIA (1.9%), GERMANY (3.3%) and the NETHERLANDS (3.5%). The highest unemployment rates were observed in GREECE (18.6% in SEPTEMBER 2018) and SPAIN (14.7%). Compared with a year ago, the unemployment rate fell in all Member States except Estonia where it remained stable. The largest decreases were registered in CROATIA (from 10.0% to 7.8%), GREECE (from 20.8% to 18.6% between September 2017 and September 2018) and SPAIN (from 16.5% to 14.7%). Some good news from #EuroZone - Unemployment was down to 7.9% in November, the lowest rate since 2008 (via @EU_Eurostat) pic.twitter.com/i3f0mEDK2m 10.14am GMT Newsflash: Sales of cars in China fell last year, for the first time in at least 20 years. #CHINA DEC. RETAIL PASSENGER VEHICLE SALES -19% ON YEAR: PCA - BBG *CHINA 2018 RETAIL PASSENGER VEHICLE SALES FALL 6.0% ON YEAR *CHINA CAR SALES HAVE FIRST ANNUAL DROP IN MORE THAN 2 DECADES Continue reading...