FTSE

European stocks flat in light holiday trading

London - AFP

European stock markets were weaker in light holiday-season trading on Thursday, but London's FTSE 100 was still hovering close to its recent record highs on the back of strong commodity prices. On the other side of the Atlantic, stocks on Wall Street pushed higher as a pullback in the dollar boosted shares of exporters. But in Europe, London's FTSE ended the session flat,Read more

Pound surges, FTSE falls on Bank of England decision

London - AFP

The British pound surged and the London FTSE sagged Thursday after the Bank of England hinted at an early interest rate hike, while global stocks were mixed following disappointing Chinese economic data. The Bank of England (BoE), as expected, maintained its key interest rate at a record-low 0.25 percent despite surging inflation. But analysts said despite no change to theRead more

Stocks choppy as bankers meet, Trump talks debt

New York - AFP

Stocks wobbled Thursday as traders looked to a major central bankers' meeting and weighed comments by US President Donald Trump about the debt ceiling. European indices ended mixed, with London's benchmark FTSE 100 index rising 0.3 percent as traders reacted to official data confirming Britain's economy grew 0.3 in the second quarter despite high inflation and uncertainty over Brexit. USRead more

Political tensions depress world stocks

New York - AFP

The world's stock markets slid again Thursday with investors seeking safe havens as President Donald Trump doubled down on his warnings to North Korea over its nuclear program. Trump, whose threat this week to bring "fire and fury" was dismissed by North Korea, said Thursday his statement might not have been "tough enough." European equities indexes were a sea ofRead more

Italy’s Gentiloni races to form new cabinet

Rome - Arab Today

New Italian premier-designate Paolo Gentiloni raced to put together a cabinet team Monday as the market welcomed the apparent rapid resolution of the country’s political and banking crises. Gentiloni, 62, was asked by President Sergio Mattarella on Sunday to form a new centre-left government that will guide Italy to elections due by February 2018, following the resignation of outgoing PrimeRead more

Stocks Retreat

Hong Kong - Arab Today

The pound slumped Monday on reports British Prime Minister Theresa May was ready to take the country out of the European Union in a so-called "hard Brexit". Sterling's weakness sent London's FTSE 100 index to a fresh record high, although the index later fell back and closed with a slight loss, ending a record 14-session winning streak. "The main actionRead more

Stocks, oil start 2017 on firm footing

Singapore - Arab Today

Global markets marched confidently into 2017 on Tuesday, with Asian stocks extending gains after European shares surged to their highest in a year and the dollar resuming its climb after last week’s stumble. Oil, gold and base metal prices also advanced, as signs of solid factory growth in China and Europe gave the global manufacturing sector a solid boost headingRead more

European stocks deflate at open from the US Federal Reserve.

London - AFP

Europe's main stock markets deflated at the open on Wednesday as investors awaited the latest interest rate decision from the US Federal Reserve. London's FTSE 100 index dropped 0.3 percent to 6,950.42 points, Frankfurt's DAX 30 also dipped 0.3 percent to 11,254.47 and the Paris CAC 40 shed 0.5 percent to 4,778.96 compared with Tuesday's close. The US central bank'sRead more

Global stocks rise but oil slides on OPEC skepticism

New York - Arab Today

Global stocks ended the week higher, with US indices all finishing at new records, while oil prices fell sharply amid continued skepticism about chances for a deal at next week's OPEC meeting. All three major US equity indices hit fresh records Friday, with the Dow closing at a new high for the fourth straight session. Analysts said trading volume inRead more

Vodafone loss doubles on India woes

London - AFP

British mobile phone giant Vodafone on Tuesday said its first-half net loss doubled to more than 5.0 billion euros owing to a huge writedown for its Indian unit. Vodafone said its loss after tax soared to 5.1 billion euros ($5.5 billion) in the six months to September 30 compared with a net loss of 2.5 billion euros one year earlier.Read more