French nationwide strike to extend as pension reform fight intensifies
Protests against plans to raise pension age to 64Majority of voters reject reformGovernment, unions determined to stand their groundPARIS, March 7 (Reuters) – France’s nationwide strike against a planned pension reform, which disrupted train services, shut schools and halted fuel deliveries, will spill into Wednesday as unions seek to force a government retreat on the […]
Wall Street wobbles to mixed close, Treasury yields inch higher as Powell concludes testimony
NEW YORK, March 8 (Reuters) – The S&P 500 ended an indecisive session with a nominal increase and Treasury yields edged up on Wednesday as a spate of economic data appeared to support Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s reassertion, in his second day of congressional testimony, that the central bank would continue to ratchet up […]
U.S. companies and their backers seize on window to sell stock
NEW YORK, March 7 (Reuters) – Sales of shares in publicly listed U.S. companies had their strongest showing last week in more than a year, as companies and some of their shareholders, such as private equity firms, capitalized on the risk appetite of stock market investors.Stock sales reached $4.97 billion in the United States last […]
Weak euro zone data point to cracks in recovery as inflation lingers
Bloc’s retail sales rebounded only feebly in JanuaryConstruction still contracted, sector’s PMI showedSurprise fall in morale in March’s Sentix indexExpect more ECB rate hikes after March, says LaneBig nations’ inflation rose in Feb, data showed last weekFRANKFURT, March 6 (Reuters) – The euro zone’s economic recovery is tentative and fragile, several indicators suggested on Monday, […]
US companies rush to issue corporate debt, busiest February ever
WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) – U.S. companies with the highest credit ratings sold a record $144 billion of debt securities so far in February to get ahead of further potential interest rate hikes, meeting strong demand from investors looking to capitalize on a spike in yields.Investment-grade rated corporate bond issuance in February has been the […]
Dollar slips after recent gains, recent uptrend intact
U.S. durable goods orders drop in January, weighs on dollarU.S. pending home sales rise; dollar sell-off persistsSterling, euro up sharplyNEW YORK, Feb 27 (Reuters) – The dollar fell from a seven-week high on Monday, tracking a slide in U.S. Treasury yields, as investors consolidated gains after the greenback’s recent rise and looked ahead for the […]
BIS urges central banks to ‘get the job done’
LONDON, Feb 27 (Reuters) – Central banks need to “get the job done” when it comes to getting inflation back under control, the Bank for International Settlements has said, urging them to avoid the mistakes of the 1970’s by declaring victory too early.The BIS, dubbed the bank for central banks, said it was vital authorities […]
Wall St gets respite from positive data, dollar pullback
Stocks edge up, bond yields retreatDollar pulls back after biggest weekly rally since SeptemberHigher peak seen for Fed ratesPositive U.S. manufacturing, home sales dataFeb 27 (Reuters) – Wall Street and global shares rebounded modestly on Monday on favorable economic data and bargain hunting, but remained within sight of recent six-week lows, as investors prepared for […]
Dollar index hits seven-week high on higher-for-longer U.S. rates
LONDON, Feb 23 (Reuters) – The dollar index rose to its highest in nearly seven weeks on Thursday, a day after minutes from the Federal Reserve’s last policy meeting that supported, but did not add to markets’ view the central bank will raise rates further.The index , which tracks the greenback against six major peers […]
Global shares sink, dollar soars on rate-hike outlook
LONDON, Feb 17 (Reuters) – Stock markets dropped across the globe on Friday and the dollar leapt to six-week highs as jobs data revived expectations the U.S. central bank would stick to its monetary tightening path.Data from the U.S. Labor Department overnight showed monthly producer prices had accelerated in January and the number of Americans […]