European equities rose

European equities rose and S&P 500 futures edged higher as investor bullishness emerged intact after the failure of U.S. President Donald Trump’s health-care bill. The rand’s rally this year continued to falter as Zuma was said to tell senior leaders of the South African Communist Party that he plans to fire Pravin Gordhan. Oil climbed even amid the prospect of a further increase in record U.S. crude stockpiles.

The resumption of demand for risk assets signals investors are still pinning hopes on Trump’s ability to push through tax cuts and regulatory changes, pledges that helped trigger a reflationary upswing in global markets after his election.

In the UK businesses are bracing for Brexit by making lastditch demands of the U.K government to keep their interests in mind when Prime Minister Theresa May opens two years of talks with the European Union on Wednesday. Concerns include the risk of tariffs on exports to the EU, disruptions to supply chains and the potential loss of European workers.

The Sterling’s 1.6 percent gain versus the dollar in the week through Monday is undercutting interest in the FTSE 100 Index, which is packed with global companies whose earnings are crimped when sterling strengthens.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index rose 0.2 percent. Futures on the S&P 500 rose 0.1 percent. The underlying gauge dropped 0.1 percent Monday, paring a loss of as much as 0.9 percent. European bonds mostly rose, with 10-year German yields falling one basis point to 0.39 percent.

Gold fell 0.1 percent at $1,253.50 an ounce after rising 0.9 percent Monday. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 0.8 percent at $48.11 per barrel following a 0.5 percent drop the previous day.

The Topix Index climbed 1.3 percent, recovering after Monday’s tumble. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index also rose 1.3 percent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index gained 0.5 percent and Singapore’s Straits Times Index was up 0.7 percent.