FTSE 100 today: London shares poised to rise after US Fed maintains status quo; eyes on Apple and StanChart earnings May 2, 2024 Asian markets opened cautiously on Thursday after the US Federal Reserve signalled a delay in interest rate cuts, dragging Wall Street lower. Oil prices surged in anticipation of US reserve replenishment, and the yen strengthened amid intervention speculation. Qualcomm's stock surged on strong earnings. Focus now turns to earnings reports from Apple and StanChart.
Fed leaves interest rates on hold again as worries about inflation resurface May 1, 2024 The widely anticipated decision means the federal funds rate remains at a 23-year high, standing in a range of 5.25 to 5.50 per cent.
UK manufacturing slips back into contraction amid Red Sea disruption fears May 1, 2024 The survey confirms that the manufacturing sector slipped back into contraction after March's slight uptick. Prior to March manufacturing had been in contraction since July 2022.
FTSE 100 today: London stocks to stay subdued in light trading as Asia and Europe mark Labour Day holidays May 1, 2024 Asian markets were mixed following Wall Street's poor performance. Concurrently, oil prices experienced a decline while gold remained stable. Starbucks, AMD, and Supermicro saw significant stock declines. Now, all eyes are on the upcoming US Federal Reserve policy decision and Chair Jay Powell's remarks.
Amazon’s stock surges on strong earnings, fuelled by AI-driven cloud growth May 1, 2024 Amazon.com surpassed Wall Street's expectations in its quarterly report, buoyed by the surge of interest in artificial intelligence, particularly in its cloud-computing division, propelling the retail giant's shares up to 5% in after-hours trading.
Bank of England’s bond purchases could cost taxpayers £85bn April 30, 2024 Following the banking collapse of 2008, the Bank started hoovering up government bonds on the secondary market. The hope was this would lower borrowing costs and stimulate economic activity.
Lloyds, HSBC, Barclays and Natwest results show consumer strength amid higher rates April 30, 2024 Barclays, Natwest and Lloyds reported first quarter results last week while HSBC updated investors this morning.
German recovery helps eurozone escape shallow recession April 30, 2024 According to figures released this morning by Eurostat, the eurozone grew 0.3 per cent between January and March, ahead of the 0.1 per cent expansion expected by economists.
Impact of Bank of England interest rate hikes wanes as mortgage approvals rise April 30, 2024 Bank of England figures showed that net mortgage approvals climbed again to 61,300 in March, slightly above the 60,500 seen in February and roughly in line with economists' expectations.
London business confidence falls fast but economy as a whole remains optimistic April 30, 2024 "Businesses are feeling increasingly confident about the economy, coinciding with falling inflation and hopes that interest rates will start to fall this year," Hann-Ju Ho, senior economist at Lloyds said.