Market Pulse
US close: Stocks close higher as oil prices rise above $40 mark
US stocks closed on the front foot on Thursday as oil prices jumped and investors continued to weigh the Federal Reserve's policy announcement.
FX round-up: Fed's dovish stance sends traders scurrying to adjust
Janet Yellen&Co’s surprisingly dovish interest rate projections published in the previous evening unleashed sharp movements in foreign exchange markets on Thursday, as traders hurried to readjust their positions.
Commodities: Silver shines brightest after Fed decision
A downdraft in the US greenback following the Fed’s lowered interest rate projections overnight saw the Bloomberg Commodity index snap 2. 02% higher to 163. 75 as of 18:24GMT.
Europe close: Shares drop as euro and Japanese yen snap higher
European stocks reversed opening gains to trade lower as the euro and yen advanced against the US dollar, after being hit by the Federal Reserve’s dovish stance on Wednesday.
Sectors movers: Precious metals miners shine, banks hit by Fed
A charge of the large cap mining brigade kept the FTSE 100 index just in positive territory through Thursday afternoon.
London close: FTSE finishes higher as BoE keeps interest rates unchanged
The FTSE 100 finished higher on Thursday as the Bank of England decided to keep interest rates unchanged.
US open: Stocks mixed after FOMC rate decision
US stocks were mixed on Thursday as traders continued to weigh the Federal Reserve’s policy announcement from the previous session.
Bonds: Yields drop sharply after Fed meeting
Two-year US Treasury note yields dropped by 11 basis points on Wednesday to 0. 86% – registering their largest decline in six months - after the Fed left its main policy settings unchanged and US rate-setters lowered their projections for the expected path of interest rates in 2016.
Suspected intervention rapidly weakens yen
The word 'intervention' was being bandied about on Thursday, as the yen made a blinding recovery from the lows seen after the release of weak trade data earlier in the session.
Rentokil boosted by Credit Suisse upgrade
Rentokil Initial got a boost on Thursday after Credit Suisse upgraded its stance on the stock to ‘outperform’ from ‘neutral’ and lifted the price target to 190p from 155p.
Sky launches virtual reality production unit with F1 film
Subscription broadcaster Sky announced a new commitment to virtual reality on Thursday, creating a dedicated in-house production unit - Sky VR Studio.
Lighthouse rejects AFH Financial bid
Wealth manager AFH Financial Group has confirmed its takeover proposal to the board of financial adviser Lighthouse Group at 13p per share has been rejected.
Admiral CEO to give employees £7m parting gift
Admiral chief executive Henry Engelhardt, who is due to retire in May, will give away a £1,000 parting gift to every full time worker as a thank you for helping to turn the business around.
Thursday newspaper share tips: Deutsche Boerse/LSE, Cape
An out-vote in the upcoming Brexit referendum would not derail the proposed tie-up between Deutsche Borse and the LSE, but regulators or a last-minute bid from a competitor might yet throw a spanner into the proposed deal, the Financial Times’s Lex column said.
FTSE 100 movers: Miners surge as metal prices fly higher
The FTSE 100 was tracking flat in afternoon trading, chopping slightly above and below the line as investors digested the Bank of England's unanimous decision to stand pat on monetary policy.
FTSE 250 movers: OneSavings surges on results; AG Barr and Britvic lose their fizz
London’s FTSE 250 was up 0. 3% to 16,801. 41 as investors digested the Bank of England’s decision to leave interest rates and the asset purchase programme unchanged at 0. 5% and £375bn.
Friday preview: Berkeley's reports and Sainsbury's hits Argos deadline
As well as the deadline for Sainsbury's to make a further bid to acquire Argos owner Home Retail, Friday also sees housebuilder Berkeley Group’s full year interims amid the slowdown in the prime central London property market.
South Africa's central bank unexpectedly hikes rates
South Africa’s central bank unexpectedly tightened its monetary policy on Thursday.
Index of leading US economic indicators rose slightly in February
A widely-followed gauge of the US economy moved slightly higher in February, which was consistent with a considerable moderation in the business cycle but not a near-term downturn, according to one of the country’s best-known think-tanks.
US current account deficit improves slightly in fourth quarter of 2015
A measure of the shortfall in America’s current account transactions with the rest of the world improved slightly at the end of 2015, mainly as a result of fewer oil imports, albeit by less than economists had expected.