Currencies
FX round-up: Pound, US dollar find slight safe haven bid at end of the week
Friday saw the pound weaken a tad against the dollar but flirt closer to the 1. 2 euro level that has been playing hard to get since June, with the single currency also on the backfoot against the greenback although it too ended higher for the week.
UK steel firms cautious ahead of Trump export investigation
Steelmakers in Britain are on alert as Donald Trump launches an investigation into steel dumping in the US and suggested new tariffs will be levied on imports.
Analysts differ on forecasts for China's FX reserves
Capital outflows from China slowed significantly over the past two months, Capital Economics estimated, telling clients that the country's fight against them might be nearly over, but Oxford Economics disagreed.
US existing home sales hit 10-year high in March
Sales of US existing home sales rose more than expected in March, to their highest pace in more than 10 years, according to data from the National Association of Realtors.
US factory and service output levels at seven-month lows in April
The US economy softened at the start of the year, with levels of output in both the manufacturing and services sectors dipping to seven-month lows, the results of a survey showed, but economists believed there were good reasons to expect a rebound going forward.
Paris attacker kills policeman, injures two others, IS claims responsibility
An attack against a bus carrying French policemen claimed one victim and left two other officers injured just two days before the hotly-contested first round of the French presidential elections.
Le Pen or Melenchon election victory would trigger a correction, Citi says
The most likely outcome of the French elections was a victory for either the centrist or centre-right candidates, Emmanuele Macron and Francois Fillon, strategists at Citi said.
Barclays believes worst of iron ore price slide over, positive on mining
Analysts at Barclays sounded a positive note on the EU mining sector, flagging the potential for large cash returns from Glencore, S32 and Rio Tinto over the medium-term.
Eurozone business activity hits six-year high in April
Business activity in the eurozone hit a six-year high in April, according to preliminary data released on Friday.