- As toll crosses 100, Trump puts Hurricane Helene at election center stage
- US Fed Chair sees 'further disinflation' in economy
- Epic Games sues Google and Samsung over app store
- Officials see no shortages from likely US port strike
- UK families of Gaza hostages warn Lebanon attack 'takes focus away'
- Shares in Stellantis, Aston Martin skid on profit warnings
- Dali prints found in London garage sold at auction
- ECB chief backs bank mergers amid UniCredit, Commerzbank talk
- China stocks soar on stimulus, but US and Europe retreat
- 100 dead in storm Helene damage, flooding across US southeast
- China stocks soar on stimulus, Europe slides on automaker woes
- German antitrust watchdog steps up monitoring of Microsoft
- Nepal's urban poor count cost of 'nightmare' floods
- E.Guinea, Gabon clash at ICJ over oil-rich islands
- New blow for UK's Starmer as growth data disappoints
- China's top banks to tweak mortgage rates to boost housing market
- Muslim women break taboos navigating east London's waterways
- Nepal dam-building spree powers electric vehicle boom
- More than 60 dead from storm Helene as rescue, cleanup efforts grow
- Dozens missing, 9 dead in migrant boat wreck off Spanish Canaries
- Death toll from Hurricane John hits eight in Mexico
- Storm Helene's toll rises as rescue and cleanup efforts gain pace
- SpaceX launches mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding as cleanup begins
- SpaceX set to launch mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Boeing strike grinds on as latest talks fail to reach agreement
- Iran 'news' sites, hackers target Trump ahead of US election
- US ports brace for potential dockworkers strike
- Japan's speedy, spotless Shinkansen bullet trains turn 60
- US hurricane deaths rise to 44, fears of more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Global stocks mostly rise, cheering Beijing stimulus
- Europe en route for Moon with new simulator, says astronaut Pesquet
- Fireworks forecast if comet survives risky Sun flypast
- Argentina judge orders dictionary to delete pejorative definition of 'Jewish'
- Global stocks rise on rate hopes, Beijing stimulus
- S.African woman turns 118, among the oldest in the world
- UK clears $4 bn AI partnership between Amazon, Anthropic
- Barca fans barred from Champions League away game over racist banner
- Chinese stocks extend surge, Europe higher on Beijing stimulus
- Pope says Church must 'seek forgiveness' for child sexual abuse
- China caps week of 'bazooka' stimulus for ailing economy with rate cut
- Cuts, cash, credit: China bids to jumpstart flagging economy
- France's debt weighs heavier ahead of budget debate
- Iran treads carefully, backing Hezbollah while avoiding war
- Return to sender: waste stranded at sea stirs toxic dispute
- 'Broken' news industry faces uncertain future
- On remote Greek island, migratory birds offer climate clues
- Taken from mother by nuns, victim seeks answers as pope visits Belgium
- China cuts amount banks hold in reserve to boost lending
RBGPF | 7.18% | 64.75 | $ | |
RYCEF | 0.14% | 7.05 | $ | |
CMSC | -0.21% | 24.72 | $ | |
BCC | -0.36% | 140.98 | $ | |
SCS | 2.52% | 13.49 | $ | |
GSK | 0.42% | 40.88 | $ | |
NGG | -0.09% | 69.67 | $ | |
CMSD | -1.21% | 24.78 | $ | |
RIO | -0.08% | 71.17 | $ | |
RELX | -0.21% | 47.46 | $ | |
BCE | -1.12% | 34.8 | $ | |
JRI | 0.66% | 13.67 | $ | |
VOD | -0.7% | 10.02 | $ | |
BTI | -0.71% | 36.58 | $ | |
AZN | 0.37% | 77.91 | $ | |
BP | -0.1% | 31.39 | $ |
Euro hits two-year low as ECB holds fire
The euro slumped to a near two-year low on Thursday after the European Central Bank remained vague about when it will raise interest rates in the face of soaring inflation.
Meanwhile oil prices, whose recent surge has contributed to inflation around the globe reaching the highest levels in decades, came off the boil.
The ECB stood still in the face of record eurozone inflation, keeping its stimulus plans and rates unchanged, as the war in Ukraine cast a pall over the eurozone economy.
Meeting for the second time since the outbreak of the conflict, the bank's 25-member governing council stuck to a plan that "should" see its bond-buying scheme come to an end in the third quarter.
An interest rate hike would follow "some time" after the stimulus programme comes to an end, and any increases "will be gradual".
The decision leaves the ECB further out of step with many of its peers. Central banks such as the Bank of England, US Federal Reserve and the Bank of Canada have already triggered their first interest rate rises in response to soaring inflation.
The euro took a knock after the ECB's decision, slipping under $1.08 for the first time since May 2020, falling as low as $1.0758.
The ECB "continues to show little sign of looking to hike rates after leaving rates unchanged at their policy meeting today, while being even handed over the risks facing the eurozone economy," said market analyst Michael Hewson at CMC Markets UK.
The ECB's provided a boost for eurozone stocks, however, which moved into positive territory and ended the day higher.
- Musk Twitter bid -
Wall Street was mixed, with another major bank reporting a big fall in profits and setting aside money due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Citigroup said its first quarter profits tumbled 46 percent to $4.3 billion, in a similar performance to JPMorgan Chase which reported Wednesday a sharp drop in profits and warned of downside risks from the Ukraine war and surging inflation.
Its shares nevertheless rose 2.1 percent in late morning trading.
Elsewhere on the corporate front, Tesla chief Elon Musk launched a hostile takeover bid for Twitter, offering to buy 100 percent of its stock and take it private, according to a stock exchange filing.
Musk offered $54.20 a share, but the company's share price was up by around 0.4 percent to $46.03 in late morning trading.
The reaction "appears to suggest little enthusiasm on the part of investors" said Hewson at CMC Markets.
While this may indicate they believe Musk is not serious, Hewson said the share price would likely take a hit if he is rebuffed and dumps his holding.
"Given the recent share price performance of Twitter they ought to be ripping his arm off, because it’s unlikely they will get a better offer from anybody else," he said.
Despite falling Thursday, both main oil contracts stayed firmly above the $100 per barrel mark, with fears swirling about global supply constraints over the invasion of Ukraine by Russia -- a major producer of oil and gas.
- Key figures around 1530 GMT -
New York - Dow: UP 0.4 percent at 34,701.82 points
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.6 percent at 14,163.8 (close)
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.7 percent at 6,589.35 (close)
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.5 percent at 7,616.38 (close)
EURO STOXX 50: UP 0.6 percent at 3,785.46
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.2 percent at 27,172.00 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng: UP 0.7 percent at 21,518.08 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 1.2 percent at 3,225.64 (close)
Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 0.9 percent at $107.85 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 1.1 percent at $103.13 per barrel
Euro/dollar - DOWN at $1.0803 from $1.0894 at 2100 GMT
Pound/dollar - DOWN at $1.3060 from $1.3109
Euro/pound - DOWN at 82.72 pence from 83.03 pence
Dollar/yen - UP at 125.95 from 125.59
A.Agostinelli--CPN