PARIS: Global shares rallied on Friday, helped by signs of progress in US-China trade talks, while the dollar held close to its lowest levels in more than three years.

World stock markets have rallied to record highs this week, as traders took confidence from a ceasefire between Iran and Israel and markets stepped up bets for US rate cuts.

A trade agreement between the US and China on Thursday on how to expedite rare earth shipments to the US was also seen by markets as a positive sign, amid efforts to end the tariff war between the world’s two biggest economies.

Asian shares hit their highest in more than three years in early trading, and US stock futures pointed to a firm start for Wall Street shares.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index was up 0.8 percent on the day, set for a 1.1 percent weekly gain — its best week since mid-May.