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Goldman Sachs upgrades Glencore on exposure to copper and zinc
Goldman Sachs has upgraded Glencore to ‘buy’ due to its favourable commodity exposure, although it expects the sector to remain choppy due to more negative investor sentiment.
Conservative infighting breaks out over election expenses controversy
Bitter infighting broke out between Conservative MPs and the party's central office after it was revealed that one parliamentarian had been questioned by police under caution over his 2015 election expenses.
US close: Stocks finish higher as Fed hikes interest rates
US equity markets finished higher on Wednesday, after the Federal Reserve tightened policy but left its so-called 'dot-plot' graph largely unchanged, triggering a sharp rally in government bond markets.
US Treasuries rally hard even as Fed hikes rates
The US central bank tightened policy but left its so-called 'dot-plot' graph largely unchanged, triggering a sharp rally in government bond markets.
March 2017 FOMC decision - Analysts react
"The dot plot is pretty much unmoved but we do seem to have a bit more consensus around rates in 2019. Of note, Neel Kashkari didn't think rates should rise yet, which highlights there are still meaningful doubts about just how quickly and how far the Fed should raise rates in this cycle. This case is simply based on a lack of wage growth, which holds back inflation. The temptation to hike is being tempered by the fact that labour market slack (of which there is more than headline figures might suggest), means there is hardly any pressure on wages and that means inflation should be steady and unspectacular - certainly not worthy of aggressive hiking," Neil Wilson, senior market analyst at ETX Capital.
Europe close: Stocks edge higher ahead of Dutch elections, US central bank
As the Dutch head to the polls, European equity markets were little changed on Wednesday with investors looking to the US Federal Reserve’s latest policy announcement.
Sector movers: Miners pace gains on positive analyst chatter
Steel-makers and miners were at the forefront of market gains with some traders referencing positive data on Chinese fixed asset investment the previous day as the catalyst.
UK home buyers save for up to ten years for deposits
First time property buyers in the UK often have to save for as long as 10 years in order to place a deposit on a house, with more than two thirds saying it took more than two years, new research has found.
UK's Hammond in humiliating U-turn on NIC rise for self employed
UK Chancellor Philip Hammond was forced into a humiliating U-turn on Wednesday when he scrapped the controversial plan to increase national insurance contributions for the self-employed.
FX round-up: Sterling rises ahead of Fed, amid Brexit, Europe elections nerves
Sterling enjoyed a chipper performance on most key crosses on Wednesday, apparently shrugging off immediate Brexit and European election concerns as traders look to the US Federal Reserve's expected interest-rate hike at 18:00 GMT.
US oil imports, product stockpiles fall in latest week
US crude oil inventories slipped during the latest reference week as imports fell back, government data revealed.
London close: FTSE clings to minor resources-led gains ahead of Fed rate decision
Shares in London clung to minor gains throughout Wednesday with traders around the globe expectantly waiting for the US Federal Reserve to issue an interest-rate lift at 18:00 GMT.
FTSE 250 movers: Lovely landscape as Marshalls soars
Shares in specialist landscape products group Marshalls jumped 7% as the firm reported a 31% jump in full-year profit on Wednesday thanks to an improvement in operating margins.
Russian spies charged by US over Yahoo data hack
US Department of Justice officials have indicted four individuals over the massive data breach of Yahoo user accounts - two of which having been identified as Russian spies.
Pound could be crunched 'much further', though dollar fall could support cable
Sterling's slump is far from over, currency strategists have warned, though a looming dollar retreat would support cable in the medium term.
Commodities: Crude rises as US stores fall, with gold under Fed rate-hike pressure
Crude-oil futures bucked higher on Wednesday and off three-month lows on news of a surprise draw in US stores of the black liquid, while gold bears priced the yellow metal lower ahead of the US Federal Reserve's expected interest-rate lift this evening.
US open: Stocks slightly higher as likely rate hike looms
With only hours to go before the policy announcement by the Federal Reserve, US equity markets were trading slightly higher on Wednesday, while oil prices rebounded.
Small cap news round-up
Metals Exploration's shares have dived more than 16% after revealing mining and processing operations at Runruno gold project are ramping-up slower than expected.
S&P downgrades Reckitt Benckiser long-term debt one notch to A-
Standard & Poor's took Reckitt Benckiser down a notch due to the higher debt that would result from its acquisition of US rival Mead Johnson.
Apple fixed prices of iPhones, says Russian regulator
Apple was left with Olivier salad on its face on Wednesday, after Russia’s competition regulator found the US technology giant had fixed the prices of a number of iPhone models in the country.