Government debt sells off after Easter as higher-for-longer interest rate fears resurface April 3, 2024 "European bonds dropped, tracking the previous day’s selloff in Treasuries, as traders priced the possibility of fewer interest-rate cuts from the Fed," analysts at Liberum noted.
London Stock Exchange could be stripped of smaller firms by 2028, warns Peel Hunt April 3, 2024 The London Stock Exchange could be stripped of smaller companies by 2028 if the pace of a current “feeding frenzy” continues, according to a top investment bank.
Euro inflation falls faster than expected as markets look for clues on interest rate cuts April 3, 2024 The ECB left interest rates on hold at its March meeting, warning that price pressures remain high "owing to strong growth in wages".
FTSE 100 today: London markets to open red as Fed rate-cut odds dwindle, spurring global decline April 3, 2024 Asian shares mirrored Wall Street's decline, while gold reached a record high and oil prices rose. China's services sector experienced accelerated growth. Taiwan was hit by its strongest earthquake in almost 25 years. Investors awaited Fed Chair Jerome Powell's speech and the release of the US Services PMI data.
Services inflation to ‘cool significantly’ paving the way for June interest rate cut April 2, 2024 Falling energy prices will help services inflation to "cool significantly" in the months ahead, paving the way for the Bank of England to start cutting interest rates in June, analysts at Goldman Sachs said.
FTSE 100 drops below 8,000 but index remains nears all-time high April 2, 2024 It briefly reached as high as 8,014, higher than its highest closing price of 8,012.53.
‘Life returning to UK housing market’ as mortgage approvals climb to highest level since mini-budget April 2, 2024 Ashley Webb, assistant economist at Capital Economics, also said the figures showed that higher interest rates were having less of an influence on customers' savings behaviour.
‘Recovered from doldrums’: UK manufacturing returns to growth for first time since July 2022 April 2, 2024 Output and new orders for manufacturing firms increased for the first time in a year helping business optimism about the year ahead to hit an 11-month high.
FTSE 100 today: London markets set to open higher, mirroring Asian peers after Easter holiday April 2, 2024 Hong Kong leads Asian stocks higher as the yen holds steady below 152 amid intervention threats. Meanwhile, the likelihood of a June rate cut by the US Federal Reserve drops to around 60 per cent. Focus remains on speeches by several Fed officials and the upcoming US monthly jobs report.
China’s March factory activity sparks hope for recovery, but clouds of uncertainty persist April 1, 2024 China's manufacturing sector saw its highest growth in over a year in March as firms resumed and sped up production post-Lunar New Year, according to an official survey.