HOPEFUL A currency trader works near the screens showing the foreign exchange rates in Seoul, South Korea on Monday, May 22, 2023. Stock markets around the world rose slightly on Tuesday with hopes the US will avoid defaulting on its debt. AP PHOTO
HONG KONG: Optimism that the United States will avert a calamitous default supported equities on Tuesday, with President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy saying they held productive talks on the debt ceiling.