Moving to global markets. Wall Street stocks streaked to fresh records Wednesday, with petroleum-linked shares rallying, as oil prices closed at their highest level since 2014.

All three major US indices jumped to new records. The broad-based S&P 500 finished up 0.6 percent. Petroleum-linked shares rose sharply as oil prices rallied on the upheaval in Iran and persistently cold weather in the US. Technology shares were another strong group, with Amazon, Facebook and Google-parent Alphabet all up more than one percent. On the performance in Europe. Equities are mostly higher in afternoon action, rebounding slightly from Wednesday's shaky start to the New Year. Europe rose despite the introduction of so-called MiFID Two rules, which took effect on Wednesday. The rules seek to tighten regulations to stop rampant speculation.