Global stocks close in on record highs on U.S.-China trade deal hopes

TOKYO (Reuters) - World stocks rallied to near record highs on Friday after China said it had agreed with the United States to cancel tariffs in phases, a key demand of Beijing for sealing a deal to end a trade war that has slowed economic growth and roiled markets. MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe rose slightly to stand at 543.70, just a hair off the record high of 550.63 reached in January 2018. The index compiler's gauge of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan edged up 0.2% in early..