Bloomberg US stocks rose towards records and the dollar gained after upbeat private jobs data bolstered confidence in the world’s largest economy. European assets firmed on news the Italian government may rein in spending. The S&P 500 Index headed for a record close as technology and financial shares advanced. Italian debt jumped after four days of selling and the Stoxx …

Bloomberg For some Philippine money managers, it’s still too soon to scoop up shares in the world’s worst-performing stock market. As the Philippine Stock Exchange Index dipped below 7,100, taking its valuation to its lowest level since January 2016, Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. is among the firms that’s staying on the sidelines. John Padilla, the head of equities at …

Bloomberg Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell welcomed recent increases in Americans’ wages while expressing confidence that low unemployment won’t spur a takeoff in prices that would force him to hike interest rates aggressively. “The rise in wages is broadly consistent with observed rates of price inflation and labor productivity growth and therefore does not point to an overheating labor market,” …