International News
Europe close: Stocks continue to grind higher on back of ECB stimulus
European stocks continued their grind higher towards their best levels of the year after the European Central Bank unveiled a new raft of stimulus measures, including another round of debt purchases or so-called 'quantitative easing', and with ECB chief Mario Draghi also calling on governments to step in with fiscal spending.
Chinese buyers purchase US soybeans and pork - Reuters
Private Chinese firms purchased the most soybeans in over a year on Thursday, ahead of mid-level talks between US and Chinese trade officials scheduled for the following week.
London close: UK stocks underperform despite dovish ECB and positive trade news
London stocks underperformed despite another round of monetary stimulus from the European Central Bank - albeit accompanied this time by a very explicit call for fiscal stimulus in the euro area - and apparent signs that trade tensions between the US and China were easing.
Google settles fiscal fraud probe in France for $550m
Google agreed to pay a $550. 0m fine in France to settle a fiscal fraud probe that began four years ago, the country's financial prosecutor’s office announced on Thursday.
Brent futures dip as OPEC+ fails to agree to deeper or more prolonged output curbs
Oil prices were under pressure late on Thursday after the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies failed to commit to deeper or more prolonged production curbs by its members.
US open: Muted start to trading following ECB rate decision
Trading on Wall Street began on a somewhat muted note on Thursday, with investors' attention centred on global trade developments after Donald Trump agreed to hold off on additional tariff increases on Chinese goods for two weeks as a "gesture of good will".
Huawei attempts to sell its 5G patents to a Western company
Huawei is offering to sell its 5G technology patents, licenses, code, and technical blueprints to a Western company in a one-time-only offer.
ECB cuts deposit rate further and restarts QE
The European Central Bank unleashed a barrage of new stimulus measures, as had been widely anticipated, and opened the door to further easing if needed in order to bring inflation back to target.
US jobless claims drop sharply due to distortions in data
US jobless claims fell sharply at the start of September, but likely only due to distortions in the data due to the Labor Day holiday.
France to block Facebook's Libra on European soil
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Thursday that he would block the development of Facebook’s proposed cryptocurrency libra in Europe, saying that it would put the sovereignty of governments at risk.
US core CPI rises more quickly than expected in August
The cost of living in the US rose more quickly than expected again last month.
US pre-open: Futures point to modest gains following Trump's 'good will' gesture
Wall Street futures had stocks opening a tad higher on Thursday, with markets' focus centred on global trade developments after Donald Trump agreed to hold off on additional tariff increases on Chinese goods for two weeks as a "gesture of good will".
BofA-ML predicts European cyclicals set to outperform
Strategists at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch predicted further upside for European stocks, led by cyclicals such as banks and miners.
Germany headed for recession, says Ifo think tank
The Ifo Institute said on Thursday that Germany's economy is heading for a recession as it cut its growth forecasts for 2019 and 2020.
Asia report: Markets mixed as US delays China tariffs
Asian markets were mixed on Thursday after US President Donald Trump confirmed a two-week delay to tariff hikes on $250bn of Chinese goods.
Eurozone industrial production drops more than expected in July
Eurozone industrial production fell more than expected in July, according to figures released by Eurostat on Thursday, adding weight to the case for more stimulus from the European Central Bank.