European bourses rose and Wall Street stock futures cheered up on Wednesday as investors reacted to the latest signs that a breakthrough in the trade dispute between the US and China could be close.

A former UBS compliance officer and her day-trader friend who were both convicted of insider trading on Tuesday have been found guilty of one more count each in a rare UK jury trial of the crime.

EU antitrust officials have alleged that US chipmaker Broadcom has imposed illegal restrictions on seven major makers of TV set-top boxes and modems, and are seeking the unusual step of ordering the company to remove the restrictions while the enforcers complete their investigation, which can take years to complete.

The price of bitcoin has soared to its highest level in a year and a half, as a breathless rally in the digital asset evokes memories of the cryptocurrency’s last boom-and-bust cycle.

The Central Bank of Ireland has imposed a €1.6m fine on JPMorgan for “serious” regulatory failings in its Dublin fund administration arm.

Fund industry dealmaker Jon Little has resigned as managing partner of Northill Capital, signalling a change in direction for the acquisitive UK investment business he founded nine years ago.

The six funds at the heart of H2O Asset Management’s illiquid bond crisis have now lost more than €5bn in value, as investors pull their money on concerns about an outsized bet on debt linked to a controversial German financier.

The US and North Korea have held discussions about a third summit between President Donald Trump and Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, according to South Korean president Moon Jae-in.

Shares in environmental consultancy RPS tumbled more than 40 per cent on Wednesday after the company issued a profit warning, saying stagnation in its Australia-Pacific business was set to drag down results.

UK transport operator Stagecoach, which has reported a 30 per cent rise in pre-tax profit, has no plans to bid for new UK rail franchises after its operations end in November.

Private equity group TDR Capital has agreed to buy BCA Marketplace in a deal that values the car auctioneer at £1.9bn.

Abu Dhabi Financial Group has agreed terms for the takeover of Dubai-listed investment bank Shuaa Capital.

Ryanair said it plans to amend the terms of its €700m share buyback in order to limit the number of shares held by or on behalf of non-EU investors if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

China has now found the crop-destroying fall armyworm in over half of its provinces, further threatening the country's food security amid an outbreak of African swine fever that has led to the culling of at least 1m pigs.

Gold prices were on track for their first fall in seven sessions on Wednesday, after US central bankers tempered expectations for aggressive interest rate cuts and the dollar rose.

New Zealand held its benchmark rate at a record low on Wednesday, in line with forecasts, but left the door open for cuts later in the year as the country's economy faces headwinds including global trade tensions. 

Apple has bought the autonomous vehicle start-up Drive.ai, adding its engineers to the iPhone maker’s own self-driving project.

San Francisco will become the first US city to ban ecigarettes as concerns grow over rising vaping levels among young people.

Kuwait has become the latest country to receive the coveted emerging markets status from MSCI, in a move that is expected to result in billions of dollars of investor inflows into the Gulf country's stocks. 

China has suspended imports of Canadian pork from some suppliers after an investigation found health certificates had been forged, according to the Chinese embassy in Ottawa, ratcheting up tensions between the two countries.

FedEx on Tuesday topped its twice-lowered expectations for quarterly earnings and cautioned that a slower global economy and trade uncertainty will continue to drag on its business in the next year.

US stocks fell the most in nearly a month as investors parsed comments from Federal Reserve officials amid growing expectations for an interest-rate cut.

A top Bank of Ireland executive is leaving the state-backed lender in a move that comes amid tension between the Irish government and the country’s banks over stringent pay caps and a bonus ban.

A prominent Turkish philanthropist accused of seeking to overthrow the government was ordered to remain behind bars on Tuesday, dashing the hopes of his supporters that he could be released after close to two years in pre-trial detention.