The U.S. dollar drifted lower against its major counterparts on Thursday after data showing a much bigger than expected increase in U.S. jobless claims added to recently renewed optimism that the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates in the coming months. The report said initial jobless claims climbed to 231,000, an increase of 22,000 from...
The Canadian market ended on a firm note on Thursday, bouncing back after snapping a five-session winning streak a day earlier, as data showing a bigger than expected increase in U.S. jobless claims raised expectations the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates in September. Materials shares rallied sharply. Stocks from communications, energy, utilities, real estate...
The manufacturing sector in New Zealand continued to contract in April, albeit at a slower pace, the latest survey from BusinessNZ revealed on Friday with a score of 48.9. That\'s up from the downwardly revised 46.8 in March (originally 47.1), although it remains beneath the boom-or-bust line of 50 that separates expansion from contraction. Among...
The South Korea stock market on Thursday ended the two-day winning streak in which it had jumped almost 70 points or 2.6 percent. The KOSPI now sits just above the 2,710-point plateau and it figures to bounce higher again on Friday. The global forecast is upbeat on an improving outlook for interest rates. The European...
The British pound strengthened against other major currencies in the pre-European session on Friday. The pound rose to an 8-day high of 195.17 against the yen, from yesterday\'s closing value of 194.63. Against the Swiss franc and the U.S. dollar, the pound advanced to 3-day highs of 1.1368 and 1.2542 from Thursday\'s closing quotes of...
The British pound strengthened against other major currencies in the pre-European session on Friday, after the U.K. economy exited a technical recession in the first quarter with the economic output growing better than expected led by a rebound in the services output and household spending. Data from the Office for National Statistics showed that the...
Asian stocks advanced on Friday while the dollar and bond yields dipped as fresh signs of cooling in the U.S. labor market revived hopes for U.S. rate cuts this year. Nevertheless, the upside remained capped somewhat due to caution ahead of next week\'s crucial U.S. inflation data that could offer important clues on the Fed\'s...
German stocks rose notably on Friday after overnight data showed a sharp rise in U.S. weekly jobless claims, stoking optimism the Federal Reserve will start cutting interest rates this year. The dollar and bond yields dipped, reflecting investors\' expectations that the Fed may cut interest rates in September or November. Markets now eagerly await next...
French stocks rose on Friday as fresh signs of cooling in the U.S. labor market revived hopes for U.S. rate cuts this year. Bank of England\'s dovish rate decision on Thursday and better-than-expected U.K. GDP growth data released earlier today also boosted investor sentiment. The U.K economy exited a technical recession in the first quarter...
U.K. stocks rose notably on Friday and the British pound strengthened against other major currencies after data showed the U.K. economy exited a technical recession in the first quarter, led by a rebound in the services output and household spending. Data from the Office for National Statistics showed that the U.K. gross domestic product grew...