Gilts fall amid U.K. policy confusion; U.S. stocks rise
BNN Bloomberg
Gilts fell and the pound whipsawed as traders struggled to make sense of U.K. policy. U.S. futures and European stocks rose ahead of Thursday’s inflation report.
The Bank of England confirmed its plan to end emergency bond purchases on Friday after confusion sparked by a Financial Times report that the central bank was prepared to extend support to stave off a crisis in U.K. pensions. Meanwhile, some investors are betting that the government may make further fiscal u-turns.
A report that the UK economy shrank unexpectedly in August also weighed on the nation’s bonds. The yield on 30-year gilts -- favored by investors such as pension funds at the heart of recent market stress -- rose to 4.95 per cent.
“The Bank of England is a test case for how hawkish central banks can be without doing damage to financial stability,” said Michael Metcalfe, global head of macro strategy at State Street Global Markets.
Delta Air said on Tuesday it expects first-quarter profit within its initial forecast range but raised its revenue expectations on strong demand, amid high jet fuel prices due to the conflict in the Middle East.
The United Arab Emirates briefly closed and then reopened its airspace Tuesday, temporarily halting flights in a crucial travel hub, as the country’s military said it was facing incoming attacks from Iran.
Prime Minister Mark Carney met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday, and while both remarked the world has become a more challenging place since their first meeting a year ago, neither named a specific issue in their public remarks.
Japan plans to start releasing oil from its stockpiles on Monday to soften the shock from the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, a stark reminder of the oil crisis half a century ago that prompted Tokyo to create reserves.
Warner Bros emerged as the biggest winner at the Academy Awards on Sunday, though the mood was clouded by its pending US$110 billion sale to Paramount Skydance, a deal reshaping Hollywood’s studio landscape.
Every day more than $4 billion worth of goods cross the United States’ borders with Canada and Mexico – U.S. auto parts headed for car factories in northern Mexico, cartons of Mexican avocados bound for California supermarkets, Canadian aluminum destined to become cans of Campbell Soup.
Prime Minister Mark Carney met Monday with Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London, and while both remarked the world has become a more challenging place since their first meeting a year ago, neither named a specific issue.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has unveiled a new auto plan that aims to secure tariff-free access to the U.S. market.
Prime Minister Mark Carney says that countries like Canada do not need to have oil reserves as a net exporter, after the energy minister announced Canada will contribute 23.6 million barrels to help stabilize international energy markets.
The U.S. military said all six airmen aboard a KC-135 refuelling aircraft that went down in Iraq are dead. Meanwhile, the American defence secretary says Iran's new supreme leader is "likely disfigured" and a large explosion rocked an area of Iran's capital.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is promising to release a new auto pact that he says will remove the GST on all Canadian-made automobiles and eliminate tariffs for the sale of Canadian vehicles to the United States.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued his first statement on the war on Thursday, saying Iran should close the Strait of Hormuz and keep attacking its Gulf Arab neighbors as leverage. Khamenei also called on people in Gulf countries to “shut down” U.S. bases, saying promised U.S. protection is “nothing more than a lie.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued his first statement on the war on Thursday, saying Iran should close the Strait of Hormuz and keep attacking its Gulf Arab neighbors as leverage. Khamenei also called on people in Gulf countries to “shut down” U.S. bases, saying promised U.S. protection is “nothing more than a lie.”