International News
Europe close: Investors waiting on German SPD vote on grand coalition
Stocks on the Continent moved higher - tracking gains on Wall Street - even as political risks in Germany and Italy came into sharper focus.
IMF says China's banks need more capital after credit boom
The International Monetary Fund has urged China’s banks to raise more capital to protect against risks caused by a credit boom.
45,000 Catalan separatists protest against EU in Brussels
Thousands of Catalan separatists have taken to the streets of Brussels to protest against the perceived lack of action from the EU in relation to the region’s independence movement.
US open: Nasdaq pushes higher, Sage Therapeutics soars
Wall Street is trading higher with the Nasdaq making gains amid a flurry of share buyback announcements in the wider market and another torrid run higher in Bitcoin.
Bitcoin surges past $16,500 despite news of $60m heist
Digital currency Bitcoin continued its upwards trajectory, hitting a new record high above $16,500, despite a major hack which saw millions of dollars worth of the digital currency stolen on Thursday.
General Electric axing 1100 UK jobs as its restructures power business
US industrial giant General Electric is shedding 12,000 jobs from its power operations, including 1,100 in the UK, as new CEO John Flannery moves to restructure the firm following years of stagnation.
Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital causes controversy
Countries from all over the world have rushed to criticise US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, which has further raised tensions in the already-strained wider Middle East.
Economists upbeat despite weak reading on German November IP data
Economists are largely brushing off a weak reading on German industry, pointing to robust survey results to back up their case.
Weekly US jobless claims dip, secondary filings move further below 2.0m
Initial jobless claims dipped last week alongside a moderate drop in those filed for a second time, a positive signal for the pace of job growth.
North Korea says war is unavoidable after US military drills
North Korea said war with the US is "an established fact", blaming the South Korean and US military exercises that are set to run until Friday.
China November FX reserve data may herald wider yuan trading band
China's foreign exchange reserves were little changed last month, extending a spell of stability which some economists believe might encourage Beijing to take further 'baby steps' towards full-blown FX liberalisation such as widening the trading band for the yuan.
Asia report: Markets mixed, RBI stands pat on rates
Major markets in Asia recovered some of Wednesday’s losses on Thursday, after a mixed session on Wall Street overnight.
Ryanair dismisses threat of pre-Christmas strikes
Ryanair pilots in Italy have voted for a short strike on December 15, though the Irish company have shrugged off the threat.
US pre-open: Stocks to edge up as Broadcom boosts Nasdaq
US futures pointed a mostly higher open on Wall Street on Thursday after technology shares recovered in the previous session, with earnings from Broadcom to lend support to the Nasdaq.
Steinhoff looks to reassure investors over liquidity
Retail group Steinhoff International put out another statement on Thursday as it looked to reassure investors over its liquidity position, after announcing the departure of its chief executive a day earlier amid “accounting irregularities”.
US close: Markets mixed as traders look to non-farms
Wall Street finished mixed on Wednesday, as traders continued to play it safe ahead of Friday's monthly non-farm payrolls numbers and next week's US Federal Reserve policy meeting.