Dow Jones gains 0.79 percent to hit new all-time high

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.79 percent to hit a new all-time high as the three major U.S. stock indexes all rose on Wednesday.

Strong performance of banking and airline stocks propelled the across-the-board rise. Morgan Stanley reported third-quarter earnings that exceeded analyst estimates, with its shares rising to a record high, gaining more than 6 percent. United Airlines also reported better-than-expected third-quarter earnings, with its stock surging more than 12 percent for the day. Nuclear stocks in the U.S. also soared as Amazon on Wednesday announced major investments in small modular reactors in the states of Virginia and Washington. Following Microsoft and Google, Amazon is the latest tech giant to invest in nuclear powers this year.

In Europe, data released by the UK's Office for National Statistics on Wednesday showed that the UK's inflation rate in September dropped significantly to 1.7 percent, the first time hitting below the central bank's 2 percent target since April 2021. The news bolstered confidence in the UK market, and the FTSE 100 index rose for the day.

Meanwhile crude oil futures continued their downward trend from the previous session, with a 0.27 percent drop. Brent crude futures fell by 0.04 percent.

Influenced by the decline in U.S. Treasury yields and a rise in risk aversion due to the tensions in the Middle East, international gold prices rose by 0.46 percent on Wednesday, closing at 2,691.30 dollars per ounce.

Dow Jones gains 0.79 percent to hit new all-time high

The Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport -- a pivotal airport in central China's Henan Province -- saw its cargo throughput surge to 800,000 tons in 2024, a record high since the airport was opened in 1997 following reconstruction on the basis of the Zhengzhou Dongjiao Airport.

Leveraging the Zhengzhou-Luxembourg "Air Silk Road" project, Zhengzhou is actively building itself into an international aviation hub. Currently, the Xinzheng International Airport has made great improvements in network coverage, service guarantee, and transfer efficiency.

Presently, 29 cargo airlines are operated in Zhengzhou, running a total of 57 cargo routes. Those air routes have formed a hub network across the three major economies of Europe, America and Asia, covering major economies in the world. As of Dec 20, the cargo volume of Luxembourg cargo flights handled in Zhengzhou this year reached 136,000 tons, a year-on-year increase of 38.8 percent.

"We will keep enhancing our hard power of cargo guarantee and our soft power of operation service, and will continue to strengthen cooperation with freight forwarders, cross-border e-commerce platforms and other enterprises. We will also improve the efficiency of cargo collection and distribution through air-to-air transfer and combined transport of air and high-speed railway," said Zhang Mingchao, Party secretary of Zhongyu Aviation Group, an airline in Zhengzhou.

Pivotal airport in central China sees cargo throughput surge to record high