Japan’s first G20 summit | Calamatta Cuschieri

The Maltese market closed in the red on Friday, with MSE Equity Total Return Index ending the session 0.229% lower, to 9,781.69 points. Best performer was Main Street Complex plc, as it added 4.10% to close at 0.635, followed by Tigne Mall plc which gain 2.78% to close at 0.925. Biggest fall was seen from Bank of Valletta plc which close 1.24% lower to 1.195, followed by Trident Estates plc and HSBC Bank Malta plc which slid 1.03% and 0.62% to close at 1.92 and 1.61 respectively.

A surge in German shares helped European equities mark their best first-half performance in over two decades on Friday, with investors awaiting the outcome of U.S-China trade talks to see if the rally can continue. The pan-European STOXX 600 closed up 0.7%, with Frankfurt's trade-sensitive DAX outperforming other major indexes with a 1% rise, aided by top lender Deutsche Bank AG.

U.S. Stocks closed higher on Friday, led by banks after the Federal Reserve’s second round of stress test results late Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished up 0.3%, at 26,599.96, the S&P 500 index gained 0.6%, to end at 2,941.76, while the Nasdaq Composite Index finished the session 0.5% higher to 8,006.24.

From climate change to trade wars: annual two-day G20 summit wraps up on Saturday in Osaka, Japan.

Commitment to the Paris climate deal was achieved with difficulty as the members faced opposition from the only G20 member not to sign: the United States.

The US president said that while he would not lift existing import tariffs, he would refrain from slapping new levies on an additional €300 billion worth of Chinese goods.

US President Donald Trump on Saturday proposed a weekend meeting with Kim Jong Un at the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea. The offer was made in a tweet and North Korea said it had not had an official proposal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has led repeated attacks against liberal values throughout the G20 summit. He took aim at the German Chancellor Angela Merkel for allowing a million refugees to enter the country in 2015 during the height of the migrant crisis.

Details surrounding journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death must be shared by Saudi Arabia, Turkish President Erdogan told a news conference at the G20 summit on Saturday. In contrast, US President Donald Trump held a friendly breakfast meeting on Saturday with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Trump said Saudi purchases of military equipment supported at least 1 million US jobs. He declined to say if he would address Khashoggi's death during his meeting with the Crown Prince.

This article was issued by Nadiia Grech, junior trader at Calamatta Cuschieri. For more information visit, www.cc.com.mt. The information, view and opinions provided in this article are being provided solely for educational and informational purposes and should not be construed as investment advice, advice concerning particular investments or investment decisions, or tax or legal advice. Calamatta Cuschieri Investment Services Ltd has not verified and consequently neither warrants the accuracy nor the veracity of any information, views or opinions appearing on this website.