US stock markets strengthened on Wednesday. Investors welcomed the prospect of an agreement to extend support measures in Congress.
The S&P 500 index gained 8.5% in the third quarter. However, for the first time since March, it reported a monthly loss in September.
The S&P 500 strengthened by 0.8% to 3,363 points, the Dow Jones by 1.2% to 27,781.70 points and the Nasdaq by 0.7% to 11,167.51 points.
Finance Minister Steven Mnuchin discussed new stimulus measures with Democratic House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi.
He told CNBC that he believed in reaching an agreement. Pelosi added that they had named areas with the minister that require further discussion and that talks will continue.
Positive news also came from the labor market, where private employers created almost 750,000 new positions in September.
The figures from the ADP survey exceeded the estimates of economists, according to which the private sector should have employed 605 thousand new people last month.