Market Pulse - Currencies
US GDP slows a tad more than expected in the fourth quarter
Economic activity in the US slowed down a tad more quickly than expected during the third quarter, but continued to point to a robust end of the year, according to economists.
EU plan assumes Northern Ireland will stay in customs union
The UK must accept the prospect of Northern Ireland staying in the EU customs union with oversight by the European Court of Justice after Brexit, a draft European commission treaty shows.
UN report says North Korea aided Syrian chemical weapons projects
A leaked report from the UN sanctions panel says North Korea sent Syria missile specialists and over 40 items used in ballistic missile and chemical weapons programmes between 2012 and 2017.
German February CPI misses forecasts
The cost of living in Germany rose less quickly than expected in February as gains in energy and food prices slowed materially.
US Supreme Court handicaps Trump's 'dreamer' plans
The US Supreme Court dealt a blow to the Trump administration on Monday as it declined to take up a lawsuit concerning the citizenship status of the children of illegal immigrants, known as 'dreamers'.
Corbyn's U-turn on customs union could spell danger for May
Jeremy Corbyn's speech on Monday, where he was set to outline his party's shadow Brexit policy, could see the Labour leader pave the way for a mutiny within Conservative ranks, led by a small number of pro-Europeans in Theresa May's cabinet, potentially derailing the PM's strategy if he was to echo sentiments made by his MP's and senior spokesmen of Labour lending their support to a post-Brexit customs union with the EU.
Trump announces 'largest-ever' set of sanctions on North Korea
The White House announced a brand new set of sanctions in its efforts to strip North Korea of its access to smuggling routes used by the regime to evade a United Nations embargo and fund its nuclear weapons programme.
BoE's Ramsden sounds positive, but cautious, note on productivity outlook
Productivity growth picked up in the back half of last year, yet whether that improvement will stick remains to be seen, although it's not all bad news in terms of the outlook for further improvement, a top Bank of England official argued.
Treasury committee launches cryptocurrency inquiry
The Treasury committee has launched an inquiry into cryptocurrencies and distributed ledgers such as blockchain amid continuing debate about the dangers and opportunities presented by the technologies.
Buy financial and energy shares and sell carmakers on rising euro, Morgan Stanley says
The euro is likely rise to against the dollar in 2018 and 2019, making European financial and energy shares attractive and carmakers a standout sector for selling, according to Morgan Stanley.
Maduro claims $735m raised by sale of new Venezuelan cryptocurrency
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro used his Twitter account on Tuesday to announce that the country has made $735m from the sale of its new cryptocurrency on the first day.
Pacific nations push ahead with TPP, final version of trade deal released
A deal to cut trade barriers in some of Asia-Pacific’s most advanced economies took a big step forward on Wednesday with the release of its final version.
Russia warns US not to "play with fire" in the Syrian conflict
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned the US not to meddle in the Syrian conflict, accusing the Trump administration of trying to undermine the Arab Republic’s territorial integrity and of supporting the autonomy-seeking Kurds in order to further its own interests.
South African assets lifted as Ramaphosa replaces Zuma
Cyril Ramaphosa was voted in as President of South Africa, senior members of the African National Congress party confirmed on Thursday, lifting the rand and companies exposed to the currency.
Benjamin Netanyahu hits back at Israeli police who recommended bribery charges
Benjamin Netanyahu has responded on Tuesday to police accusations of fraud, breach of trust and two instances of accepting bribes, saying he will not step down and is confident he won't face charges.
South African police raid Gupta compound as part of Zuma corruption probe
Armed police raided the luxurious South African home of the Gupta family on Wednesday as part of an effort to confirm corruption allegations made against the brothers and controversial president Jacob Zuma, who was ordered to stand down as head of state by the ruling African National Congress on Tuesday.
Bridgewater's Dalio fears rising risk of US recession
Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio said on Monday that the risks of a recession hitting in the next 18 to 24 months are rising.
FX round-up: Pound lifted by inflation data, dollar falls ahead of its own CPI
Sterling gained strength on Tuesday after UK inflation figures came out stronger than expected, while the dollar also fell against the euro and the yen.
Stronger UK inflation increases pressure for BoE rate hike
UK inflation in January was higher that the market expected and keeps the prospect of a Bank of England interest rate hike in play over the coming months.