Commodities
FX round-up: More hawkish BoE sees sterling shoved higher
Sterling got a firm shove higher thanks to a more-hawkish-than expected leaning by Bank of England's policy makers in holding the benchmark rate and QE unchanged.
London close: More hawkish BoE sends sterling higher and pushes FTSE down
London stocks were diving amid a cruel sea of tumbling UK equities indices after the Bank of England held its benchmark interest rate but surprised with a more hawkish stance than expected.
Commodities: Gold, silver decline as UK, US central banks set hawkish tones
Precious metals gold and silver went for a run south on Thursday with each hitting multi-week lows as markets mulled more hawkish stances from the Bank of England and US Federal Reserve.
Trump signs Qatar weapons deal despite terrorism claims
Qatar has signed a deal to buy $12bn worth of F15 fighter jets from the US, despite President Donald Trump’s claims that the state has been funding terrorist organisations.
US industrial output slips in May, but economists sanguine
Industrial production in the States undershot market forecasts in May, on the back of weakness in factory and utilities output.
Reliance Industries, BP progress on developing gas fields offshore India
BP and Reliance Industries announced they were taking the next step to develop the massive natural gas fields offshore eastern India.
US import prices fall more quickly than expected in May
Import prices Stateside fell more than expected last month amid a large drag from declining fuel import costs.
US initial jobless claims drop more than expected
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, according to data from the Labor Department.
Empire State manufacturing improves more than expected in June
Business conditions in the New York region improved a lot more than expected in June, according to a survey from the New York Fed.
Philly Fed manufacturing deteriorates less than expected
Manufacturing conditions in the Philadelphia region deteriorated a little less than expected in June, according to a survey released on Thursday.
June 2017 FOMC - Economists react
"As we look forward, there are unanswered issues/questions. The three recent rate hikes have been accompanied by lower bond yields and a significantly flatter yields curve. At what point does the Fed become concerned? The renewed inflation weakness is puzzling —the unemployment rate is at 4. 3%, a 16-year low, well-below the Fed’s estimate of the natural rate of unemployment, but wage increases remain modest even though there is mounting anecdotal evidence of pockets of labor market tightness and skill mismatches.
Trump reportedly under investigation for obstruction of justice in Russia probe
US President Donald Trump is being investigated by the FBI for a potential obstruction of justice related to the ongoing inquiry into Russian meddling in last year's election, according to media reports in the country.
Europe open: Traders warily eyeing Brent futures, bond market
European stocks have started on a down note with traders keeping one eye on the slide in crude oil futures towards a key price level and the other on the flattening interest rate curve Stateside in the wake of Wednesday night's US central bank policy decisions.