International stock markets mostly rose, as investors anticipated higher government spending under a Democratic-controlled Senate and largely looked past political violence in Washington, D.C.
Indexes in Japan and Australia both gained 1.6% Thursday, while South Korea’s Kospi Composite rose 2.1% to a fresh record high. In China, the Shanghai Composite Index added 0.7% to close at 3576.2, its highest in more than five years.
Futures suggested that U.S. stocks could advance on Thursday, with futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 rising between 0.4% and 0.8%.
Most major U.S. indexes, except the Nasdaq, had
