Europe stocks rise; FTSE 100 leads ahead of BOE decision
European stock markets were broadly higher in early deals Thursday, with the Stoxx 600 index climbing 0.68% as sentiment continues to rebuild following the tariff-sparked sell-off on Monday.
Stoxx 600 index
The U.K.’s FTSE 100 was up 1% at 8:45 a.m. in London, while the British pound dropped 0.45% against the U.S. dollar, as traders gear up for an interest rate announcement and forecasts from the Bank of England.
The central bank is widely expected to cut rates by a quarter-point, so attention will be on policymakers’ communications on inflationary pressures and the U.K. growth outlook.
Yields on U.K. government bonds, which have cooled significantly following a spike last month, were slightly higher. The 2-year gilt yield was up two basis points at 4.162%.
— Jenni Reid
China stocks and currency face a tough 2025 regardless of tariffs, Capital Economics says
Stocks in China and the renminbi face “a tough year regardless of how trade tensions play out,” according to Thomas Mathews, head of Asia Pacific markets at Capital Economics.
Higher tariffs, or elevated tariffs that remain where they are, leave plenty of room for “China’s markets to deteriorate,” according to the firm, a London-based researcher. “But tariffs are, in our view, only one reason to be downbeat,” Mathews wrote Wednesday.
China’s tepid economy ought to keep down bond yields, and the central bank is more likely “to let the currency weaken.”
Meanwhile, stock market investors may be too optimistic about the effect of government measures to boost the economy and too confident about the ability of companies in China to “generate sustained growth in earnings per share,” Mathews said, arguing that “despite a recent pick-up, EPS are still lower than they were ten years ago. And the economic backdrop of that decade was much rosier than we think the next one will be.”
— Scott Schnipper
Stocks making the biggest moves after the bell: Qualcomm, Ford Motor and more
These are the stocks moving the most in extended trading hours:
Read the full list of stocks moving here.
— Lisa Kailai Han
Stock futures are little changed
Stock futures traded near flat Wednesday night.
Dow futures slipped just under 0.1% shortly after 6 p.m. ET, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures were both trading around the flatline.
— Lisa Kailai Han
