News Headline Summary

US Senate minority leader McConnell says "we're very, very close to an agreement"; agreement reached on all tax issues

Says:
- He reached out to Biden to solve the fiscal cliff.

Reaction details:

- Optimism filters the markets as negotiations continue and a deal on tax issues nears, with S&P500 up 1.2%, Nasdaq 11 up 1.8% and DJIA up 0.8%.

Print 19:52, 31 Dec 2012 - Economic commentary - Source: Newswires