<p>Wall Street edged higher in early trading after data showed that consumer sentiment rose in the U.S.<br /><br />and manufacturing activity expanded in the New York region.</p><br /><p>Also in the spotlight, finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of 20 countries are meeting<br /><br />in Moscow against a backdrop of rising currency tensions.</p><br /><p>Jonathan Corpina, Senior Managing Partner at Meridian Equity Partners, will weigh in about the latest<br /><br />positive data coming out of the U.S., as well as if a possible currency war could also lead to trading wars.</p><br /><p>Consumer sentiment in the U.S. jumped in February, rebounding after a disappointing showing the<br /><br />previous two months.</p><br /><p>The University of Michigan preliminary index of consumer sentiment climbed to 76.3 this month from<br /><br />73.8 in January, beating analyst expectations of a projected rise to 74.8, according to the median<br /><br />forecast in a Bloomberg survey.</p><br /><p>G20 officials struggled to find a common form of words on currency manipulation ahead of a summit on<br /><br />Friday where divisions within the group over growth versus austerity looked set to flare back to life.</p><br /><p>A draft prepared for the Group of 20 finance leaders will omit part of this week’s Group of Seven<br /><br />statement declaring fiscal and monetary policy must only be used for domestic economic aims,<br /><br />according to Reuters.</p><br /><p>Central banks in Japan and the United States have policies of buying government bonds to boost credit<br /><br />to the economy, and Japan's government also wants to additionally stimulate the economy fiscally.</p><br /><p>Such policies have led to a weakening of the dollar and the yen, making exports of these countries more<br /><br />competitive, in what some policy makers refer to as "currency wars".</p><br /><p>They G20 Summit will take place in Moscow for the first time this weekend, and officials are expected<br /><br />to discuss whether the loose monetary policies of the U.S., Japan, Britain and the euro zone depart from<br /><br />the group's commitment to market-driven exchange rates.</p>
