Morning Report 27 Mar 19: US stocks advance- investors remain wary of weak economic signals

US sharemarkets were firmer on Tuesday. All major sectors rose. Higher oil prices lifted the energy sector. But shares in Apple fell 1.0% after a trade judge ruled that Apple infringed a Qualcomm patent. Shares in Viacom rose 7.6% after the New York Post reported the company and CBS Corp were rekindling merger talks. The Dow Jones index ended firmer by 141 points or 0.6%. The S&P500 index rose by 0.7%. And the Nasdaq index rose by 54 points or 0.7%.

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