Breaking Economic News
Fed must wait until 2016 to raise rates, Kocherlakota says
The US central bank must wait until next year to raise its main policy rate, according to one policymaker.
UK services sector accelerated in March, Markit says
Activity in Britain’s services sector accelerated in March.
US job growth misses forecasts by wide margin in March
The rate of job creation in the US slowed down sharply from the blistering pace seen since last summer, which may lead the Fed to delay its first increase in interest rates.
US service sector cooled slightly in March, ISM data shows
Activity in the US service sector cooled slightly in March, the results of a survey showed, but there was no indication of a broad slowdown in the economy nor in hiring, according to economists.
Brent crude drops 4% ahead of Iran press conference
Oil prices plunged on Thursday ahead of a press conference in Switzerland over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Market overview: FTSE 100 pares gains to close up 0.5%
1630: Close London's FTSE 100 finished the session up 36. 46 points, or 0. 54%, at 6,809. 50, trimming earlier gains after a weak start on Wall Street following worse-than-expected ADP payrolls and ISM manufacturing reports. "From manufacturing this morning, the focus has shifted to employment, particularly the all-important US jobs situation, with the picture looking a lot less optimistic as we head towards the Friday jobs report," said analyst Chris Beauchamp from IG.
UK manufacturing sector PMI rises to mid-2014 high in March
Activity in the UK’s manufacturing sector recovered to a mid-2014 high in March, according to one the of the most widely-followed surveys.