Currencies
FX round-up: Positive retail sales figures fail to excite GBP traders
Figures released by the Office of National Statistics this morning showed an increase in month-on-month UK retail sales, with a print of 0. 6% and year-on-year sales at 2. 9%. Both figures beating market forecasts of 0. 4% and 2. 5%, respectively.
Major dark web marketplaces shut down by US government
US security officials claimed a major victory on Thursday as two of the so-called dark web’s largest marketplaces were shut down.
Theresa May's new Brexit business council to meet
Theresa May will meet with senior figures in some of the UKs largest companies later on Thursday in an effort to assuage some of the growing concerns over the governments Brexit plans and how it will affect trading moving forward.
Euro area consumer confidence dips in July
Consumer confidence in the single currency bloc slipped a tad, the European Union's executive arm said.
'We're not there yet, financing conditions favourable' ECB's Draghi says
"We're not there yet", European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi said in his press conference when asked whether monetary policy needed to remain as accommodative as it was.
Philly Fed index falls more than estimated in July
Manufacturing conditions in the Philadelphia region deteriorated more than expected in July, according to a survey released on Thursday.
US jobless claims drop more than expected
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, according to data from the Labor Department.
ECB keeps policy rates unchanged, as expected
The European Central Bank kept all its main policy rates unchanged on Thursday, as expected.
German factory gate inflation slows in June
The rate of gain in German factory gate prices slowed in June.
Morgan Stanley opts for Frankfurt as new post-Brexit hub
US investment bank Morgan Stanley is the latest multinational financial firm to choose Frankfurt as a new post-Brexit European hub, according to several reports.
Trump attacks his own attorney general Sessions after recusal
US President Donald Trump has launched an extraordinary attack on Attorney General Jeff Sessions after the country’s top justice official recused himself from any investigation into last year’s election.