Equities: US stocks closed higher with the S&P 500 Index cresting past a one-month high, spurred by a deceleration in the labor market and dovish remarks from Fed President Mary Daly, which stoked speculation of potential policy loosening. The S&P 500 notched up by 0.5%, breaching the 5,200 level, with the real estate and energy sectors at the forefront. Both the Nasdaq 100 and Dow Jones saw upticks by 0.2% and 0.8%, respectively. Equities reached peak gains later in the day following Daly's hint at adaptive rate measures should labor conditions weaken. This followed the release of unemployment claims data ... (full story)