LONDON (SHARECAST) - -ECB's Coeure says studying means of intervening in short-term markets
-ECB's Nowotny says irrational markets require intervention
The main European equity benchmarks are now registering moderate gains, although these are now much larger in the periphery.
The above after remarks from different members of the European Central Bank’s governing council to the effect that intervention is indeed called for.
German tabloid Bild on the other hand is today speculating with the possibility that the President of the Bundesbank, Jens Weidmann, could resign to show his opposition to the ECB’s bond buying program.
Not to be missed, a barrage of economic data is due out this afternoon Stateside. Investors are particularly keen to hear US Federal Reserve President, Ben S.Bernanke’s, speech at Jackson Hole.
From a sector stand-point the best performance on the DJ Stoxx 600 is now to be seen in the following industrial groups: basic resources (1.19%), banks (1.17%) and automobiles (0.80%).
Eurozone CPI ticks up
The Eurozone’s unemployment rate remained at 11.3% for the month of July, as expected, although the previous month’s reading has been revised up by a tenth of a percentage point.
The Eurozone’s consumer price index for the month of August rose to 2.6% year-on-year (Consensus: 2.5%).
Small gain for the single currency
The euro/dollar is now rising by 0.66% to the 1.2590 dollar mark.
Front month Brent crude futures are now moving 0.644 dollars higher, to the 113.38 dollar mark on the ICE.