Market Pulse - Europe
Shift in 'forward guidance' was not discussed on Thursday, ECB chief Draghi says
European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi left the door open to further policy easing, sending the euro slightly lower, albeit while noting that the balance of risks had moved towards a "more balanced configuration".
ECB policy decision - Analysts react
"In June we expect a change to a less dovish and more symmetric forward guidance that would open the door for depo rate hikes in 2018. In particular, we would expect modifications possibly to both the forward guidance on rates and on QE by removing the explicit reference in the statement to a scenario with lower rates and/or higher QE. " - Philippe Gudin, Antonio Garcia Pascual, Barclays Research.
Europe close: ECB pours cold water on expectations of policy shift
European stocks declined for the first time in seven days despite the European Central Bank sounding a more confident note on the single currency bloc's economy.
Sector movers: Oil majors act as drag on market as Brent futures slip
Oil stocks and Cyclicals weighed on the market as news flowed in that Libya's main oilfield, Sharara, with a production capacity of 300,000 barrels a day, had come back online after an armed group that was protesting by blocking its pipelines stopped doing so.
Brent futures drop after as Libya's Sharara oilfield comes back online
Crude oil futures dropped following a report that a key oilfield in Libya had restarted production.
Barclays raises target price on Ibstock
Analysts at Barclays sounded a positive note on Ibstock following the full placement of Bain Capital's share, raising their target price on the stock.
Wealthy people should be ineligible for pensions, OECD says
State pensions in the UK should not be handed out to wealthy people in order to ensure that benefits for those on the lower end of the pay scale can be given out, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has said.
German consumer confidence strengthens more than forecast in May
Germans were in more buoyant spirits in April amid significant increases in income expectations and for the economy with further improvement expected, the results of a widely-followed survey showed.
Tourism boosts Spanish consumer prices for April
Spanish consumer prices rose past forecasts in April, pushed higher by tourism prices as a result of the Easter holidays and a higher cost of electricity versus a year ago.
Europe open: Stocks slip lower ahead of ECB
Markets slipped at the start of the session after the White House's tax cut proposals released overnight underwhelmed analysts, with investors also playing it safe ahead of the European Central Bank's policy meeting later in the day.
Schroders first-quarter assets up 5%
Fund manager Schroders reported a 5% jump in assets under management and administration for the first quarter.
London pre-open: Stocks to start lower with analysts divided on Trump tax-cut proposals
Trading is set to start on a soft note after some analysts were left feeling underwhelmed by the tax cut proposals which were announced by the White House on Wednesday night.