Oil prices and a gauge of global stock markets edged higher on Tuesday, lifted by fresh record highs on Wall Street after U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States and China were close to agreeing on the first phase of a trade deal. Investor sentiment took heart in a steady patter of encouraging news about the prolonged trade talks, providing hope the on-again, off-again talks after 16 months of negotiations appeared to be drawing nearer to a conclusion. Trump said Washington was in the “final throes” of work on a deal that would defuse the trade war with Beijing, but he also underscored Washington’s support for protesters in Hong Kong, a potential sore point with China. China’s Commerce Ministry earlier said Chinese and U.S. trade negotiators held a phone call to hammer out a “phase one” deal, leading U.S. and euro zone bond yields to […]