HANG SENG INDEX (^HSI)
- Yahoo Finance UK
FTSE 100 LIVE: European stocks edge higher as Bank of England holds interest rates at 5.25%
As anticipated, Threadneedle Street left rates unchanged at 5.25%, where they have been since August.
- Reuters
GLOBAL MARKETS-China outperforms Asian shares on solid trade data, BOE in focus
Asian shares were mixed on Thursday but solid Chinese trade data helped China stocks outperform, while the yen stabilised after three days of decline as Japanese authorities hinted at the potential for currency intervention. Europe looked set for a subdued open, with EUROSTOXX 50 futures flat, although the FTSE 100 was up 0.1% ahead of an interest rate decision from the Bank of England later in the global day. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan slipped 0.2% but was hovering not far from a 15-month high hit earlier in the week after Fed Chair Jerome Powell reiterated a stance for policy easing later this year.
- Reuters
GLOBAL MARKETS-Asia shares steady after solid China trade data, yen stable after recent falls
Asian shares steadied on Thursday after solid Chinese trade data added to signs domestic demand in the world's second-largest economy is picking up, while the yen stabilised after three days of declines as Japan talked up potential currency interventions. Later in the day, the Bank of England (BoE) will decide its interest rate policy, with all eyes on the prospects of a June rate cut following the overnight move by Sweden's Riksbank to cut rates, which underlined Europe's divergence from the U.S. Federal Reserve. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.1%, hovering not far from a 15-month high hit earlier in the week after Fed Chair Jerome Powell reiterated a stance for policy easing later this year.
