International News
Le Pen's long odds attract new punters to French political betting
Gamblers have been piling in to bet on far-right candidate Marine Le Pen wrestling a surprise win over centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron next month, according to bookmakers.
FX round-up: Generally upbeat sterling dips on dollar ahead of Trump tax reforms unveiling
Sterling enjoyed a relatively rosy day on most key crosses, but fell against a resurgent US dollar ahead of US President Donald Trump outlining his proposed tax reforms later on Wednesday.
White House prepares executive order withdrawing from NAFTA
The Trump administration is preparing an executive order to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Europe close: Slights gains ahead of ECB
European equities finished the session slightly higher as investors looked to the European Central Bank’s policy decision on Thursday and a potential tax reform announcement in the US later in the day.
London close: FTSE higher ahead of Trump's tax reform unveiling
Stocks in London ended Wednesday on a positive note ahead of US President Donald Trump's big unveiling of his much-anticipated tax reform proposals.
Deutsche Bank executive warns Brexit could endanger 4,000 jobs
One of Deutsche Bank's top executives has warned as many as 4,000 jobs at the lender could be at risk due to Britain's impending departure from the European Union.
AIB fined over €2.0m ahead of stock market debut
Allied Irish Banks has been hit with a €2. 225m fine by the Irish Central Bank with the state-owned bank’s flotation on the London Stock Exchange just weeks away.
Commodities: Crude bounces off lows as EIA data shows fall in US inventories
Crude futures bounced off earlier lows on Wednesday afternoon as US Energy Information Administration (EIA) data showed a surprise fall in inventories last week.
Twitter shares jump as traffic continues to accelerate in Q1
Twitter continued to be mired in red ink during the first quarter despite continued and accelerating growth of activity on its site, amid revenue headwinds.
US open: Stocks little changed as investors eye Trump tax announcement
US stocks were little changed on Wednesday as investors awaited a speech on tax reform by President Donald Trump.
WTI futures spike higher following DoE inventory data
US crude oil inventories fell sharply last week despite rising imports as product stockpiles continued to build.
BoJ preview: Policy changes unlikely, yen seen higher
The Bank of Japan was likely to refrain from announcing any changes to the settings for its main policy levers on Thursday at its next meeting given the risk that inflation would remain far from its target, analysts at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch said.
Mnuchin confirms plans to slash US corporate tax rate to 15%
The White House is planning the biggest reduction in taxes ever, the US Treasury Secretary confirmed on Wednesday.
Asia report: Markets higher amid strong earnings and Trump tax excitement
Markets in Asia were higher on Wednesday, taking their cue from Wall Street overnight as trader attention turned towards the looming tax reforms promised by US President Donald Trump, alongside a slew of strong earnings in the region.
Banks to begin shift to European shores soon, Barclays CEO says
Barclays CEO Jes Staley has said many international banks will begin the process of moving operations away from Britain "reasonably" soon due to concerns about Brexit.
RBS, HSBC Saudi units studying possible merger
HSBC and RBS´s partially-owned Saudi units were exploring a potential merger which would result in the creation of the Kingdom's third-largest lender.
Santander shares slip despite beating first quarter forecasts
Spain's largest lender posted better-than-expected quarterly profits thanks to a strong performance in almost all regions - especially in Brazil, UK and Spain - and a drop in its non-performing loan ratio.
US pre-open: Stocks seen touch higher as focus turns to Trump's tax plans
US futures pointed to a marginally firmer open on Wall Street on Wednesday as investors awaited a speech on tax reform by President Donald Trump.
Uber unveils plans for flying car network by 2020
Ride-hailing app Uber Technologies has revealed plans to open up a network of flying cars as early as 2020.
French consumer confidence steady heading into critical 'run-off' vote
French consumer confidence was steady in April amid a sharp fall in fears of becoming unemployed with more people believing now was a good time to carry out large purchases.