Sterling rose on Thursday as the Bank of England left interest rates unchanged, with investors looking for clues from policymakers about the impact of the Iran war. The central bank's Monetary Policy Committee voted unanimously to keep borrowing costs on hold, with some noting the prospect of raising rates.
US initial jobless claims fell to a level of 205,000 in the employment survey week ended March 14 from a 213,000 level in the previous week, compared with expectations for an increase to 215,000 in a survey of analysts compiled by Bloomberg as of 7:30 am ET. Initial claims were at a level of 208,000 in the survey week ended Feb. 14.
By Jamie McGeever. Assuming Kevin Warsh succeeds Jerome Powell as Federal Reserve chair by mid-May as planned, one of his first acts may be to preside over an interest rate hike, a true baptism of fire which would raise the ire of his boss, President Donald Trump.
Israel's commercial banks will pay the state a one-time tax of 3.25 billion shekels in 2026, which will lower the planned budget deficit target to 4.9% of gross domestic product from 5.1%, the Finance Ministry said on Thursday.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday that meetings between President Donald Trump's Fed chair nominee, Kevin Warsh, and U.S. lawmakers are going very well, but would not comment on whether a federal investigation of the current chair would be dropped.
The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week, pointing to stable labor market conditions and a rebound in job growth in March.
The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week, pointing to stable labor market conditions and a rebound in job growth in March. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 8,000 to a seasonally adjusted 205,000 for the week ended March 14, the Labor Department said on Thursday.
Tradeweb Markets Inc. (TW), a global leader in electronic trading across asset classes, today announced the expansion of its dealer algorithmic execution offering for U.S. Treasuries, adding strategies from Citi and RBC Capital Markets to its suite.
Integrated into Swisscom Broadcast's DroneDefence Deployment, Ondas (ONDS)' Subsidiary Sentrycs' Cyber-Over-RF Technology Enabled Early Detection and Tiered Mitigation Capabilities During One of the World's Most High-Profile International Events WEST PALM BEACH, FL / ACCESS Newswire / March 19, 2026 / Ondas Inc. (ONDS), a leading provider of autonomous aerial and ground robot intelligence through its Ondas A...
The Bank of England's nine interest rate-setters voted unanimously to keep borrowing costs on hold in the face of inflation risks from the war in the Middle East, and some raised the prospect of raising rates. The BoE's Monetary Policy Committee voted 9-0 to keep Bank Rate at 3.75%, the central bank said on Thursday.
The Bank of Canada left rates on hold at 2.25% on Wednesday, but tweaked the statement in a nod to the hawkish repricing of inflation and the implied policy outlook, said Societe Generale. The BoC left out the wording that the policy rate is appropriate, wrote the bank in commentary. The BoC will revise its Monetary Policy Report forecasts at the next meeting in April.
The deal includes a current refunding of general obligation bonds issued in 2016 and a tender offer for bonds that have not yet reached their call date.
* Fed, BoC, and BoJ keep interest rates on hold amid inflation concerns. * ECB expected to hold interest rates steady. * Oil rises over $115 a barrel after Iran strikes Middle East energy facilities. By Pablo Sinha.
European bourses tracked lower midday Thursday as traders awaited rate decisions and outlooks from the European Central Bank and the Bank of England, and monitored aerial attacks on Persian Gulf oil-and-gas facilities. Oil stocks led scarce gains on continental trading floors, while bank, retail and tech shares weakened.
Traders have sharply pulled back expectations of interest-rate cuts by the U.S. Federal Reserve this year after the central bank on Wednesday held rates steady and projected higher inflation and a single reduction in borrowing costs. Most global brokerages, however, stuck to their calls on the Fed's likely actions, citing largely in line commentary.
By Amanda Cooper. Euro zone government bond yields rose on Thursday, ahead of a European Central Bank rate decision, as global bonds and stocks sold off in light of another jump in the oil price and after the U.S. Federal Reserve forecast higher inflation.
* FOMC maintains policy rate in 3.50%-3.75% range as expected. * Fed funds futures imply U.S. central bank to stand pat all year. * BOJ votes 8-1 to hold interest rates. By Sophie Kiderlin and Gregor Stuart Hunter.
Aluminium prices tumbled as much as 8% on Thursday as speculators scrambled to liquidate bullish positions while copper sank to a three-month low on worries that surging oil prices will hit global growth at the same time the market is swamped with plentiful inventories.
* Oil surges 9% as Iran conflict worsens. * European and Asia stock markets tumble, borrowing costs rise. * ECB and BoE next up in packed 24 hours of central bank meetings. By Marc Jones and Ankur Banerjee.
Saskatchewan's plan for a balanced budget in 2025-26 didn't come to fruition as the province now expects to register a $1.2 billion deficit, or 1.0% of gross domestic product, in the outgoing fiscal year, said National Bank of Canada. In 2026-27, Saskatchewan is set to run a shortfall again, though it's expected to be smaller at $819 million, 0.7% of GDP.
* FTSE 100 down 1.9% * FTSE 250 hits near 4-month low. * Energy stocks hit record high as oil prices surge. * Bank of England expected to pause rate cuts amid inflation concerns. * HSBC (HSBC) considers cutting up to 20,000 jobs, Bloomberg reports.
* Stocks drop 2.8%, FX down 0.6% * Poland producer prices fall below expectations. * Gulf States request urgent talks at UNHRC on Iran's strikes, documents show. * Central bank policy decisions awaited in Czech Republic, Ukraine. By Twesha Dikshit.
The yen has held up better against the US dollar overnight Wednesday, supported by the Bank of Japan's latest policy update and further verbal intervention from Japanese policymakers, said MUFG. It has helped to prevent USD/JPY from rising above the 160.00 level after hitting a high of 159.87, wrote the bank in a note to clients.
* Futures off: Dow 0.29%, S&P 500 0.34%, Nasdaq 0.48% U.S. stock index futures slipped on Thursday as crude prices soared on intensifying hostilities in the Middle East, fanning inflation worries that have prompted the Federal Reserve to take a more cautious stance on interest rate cuts this year. The Fed left rates unchanged on Wednesday and Chair Jerome Powell flagged higher inflation ahead.
* Alibaba's (BABA) revenue, net income miss analysts' estimates. * Cloud revenue grows 36%, AI business to separate from cloud arm. * Alibaba's (BABA) shares drop more than 6% in early trading. * Singles' Day promotions fail to boost consumer enthusiasm. By Akash Sriram and Casey Hall.
* Traders price in more than two hikes from ECB, BoE. * BoE holds rates but vote more hawkish than expected. * Two-year bond yields surge as investors await ECB. By Samuel Indyk and Yoruk Bahceli.
The Swiss National Bank has increased its readiness to intervene in currency markets to dampen raised demand for the Swiss franc, Chairman Martin Schlegel said on Thursday, although he declined to indicate the scale of purchases the central bank could carry out this year.
* Fed, BoC, and BoJ keep interest rates on hold amid inflation concerns. * ECB expected to hold interest rates steady. * Oil rises over $115 a barrel after Iran strikes Middle East energy facilities. By Pablo Sinha.
Global economic growth has continued to outperform expectations for 14 straight months - just as the war in Iran fuels fresh concerns about energy prices and global stability - putting the world economy on track for its longest run of upside surprises since the 2008-09 financial crisis.
The outlook for the Swiss economy is uncertain with short-term growth potentially "rather subdued," Swiss National Bank governing board member Petra Tschudin said on Thursday. "The main risk to the economic outlook for Switzerland is the development in the global economy," said Tschudin after the SNB's latest interest rate decision.
* Traders price in ECB, BoE rate hikes this year. * ECB, BoE rate decisions later. * SNB, Sweden hold rates steady. Investors were sticking with bets for rate hikes in Europe on Thursday, ahead of European Central Bank and Bank of England policy decisions, with rate cut hopes dashed as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran boots energy prices and stokes inflation fears.
* Swiss franc this month hit highest vs euro since 2015. * SNB zero rate is lowest among major central banks. * Swiss annual inflation running at only 0.1% * 2026 inflation forecast raised to 0.5% from 0.3% By John Revill.
* Regular wage growth +3.8% versus Reuters poll +4.0% * Increase is weakest since late 2020. * Bank of England watching inflation heat in jobs market. * But BoE now also focused on risks from war in Middle East. * Jobless rate holds at 5.2% By William Schomberg and David Milliken.
Sterling was steady on Thursday as markets focused on the Bank of England's interest rate decision later in the day, with investors looking out for any clues from policymakers about the impact of the Iran war. Data published on Thursday meanwhile showed that British wages, excluding bonuses, rose at their slowest pace since late 2020 in the three months to January.
The Swiss National Bank made the following statement after its policy review on Thursday: The Swiss National Bank is leaving the SNB policy rate unchanged at 0%. Banks' sight deposits held at the SNB will be remunerated at the SNB policy rate up to a certain threshold. Global economic growth was solid in the fourth quarter.
Short-dated U.S. Treasury yields hit their highest level since last August on Thursday, after the U.S. Federal Reserve flagged the risk of a pick-up in inflation, prompting investors to begin to price in the possibility of no more rate cuts this year.
The Swiss National Bank kept its policy rate on hold on Thursday in the face of a surge in the value of the Swiss franc driven by the Iran war, which also led to a spike in global oil prices, blurring the inflation outlook. The SNB maintained its policy rate at 0%, the lowest among major central banks, as expected by a wide majority of analysts polled by Reuters.
Top central banks on Thursday said they stood ready to tackle any surge in inflation with tighter policy as the latest escalation in the Iran war put the Middle East's vital energy infrastructure in the line of fire, pushing fuel prices higher.
* FOMC maintains policy rate in 3.50%-3.75% range as expected. * Fed funds futures imply U.S. central bank to stand pat all year. * BOJ votes 8-1 to hold interest rates. By Sophie Kiderlin and Gregor Stuart Hunter.
Euro zone government bond yields rose on Thursday ahead of a European Central Bank rate decision, as global bonds and stocks sold off in light of another jump in the oil price and after the Federal Reserve forecast higher inflation. An Israeli attack on Iran's largest natural gas field on Wednesday pushed the crude price above $110 a barrel, sending fresh shockwaves through markets.
Copper slid to its lowest point in three months on Thursday in a cross-complex selloff of base metals, as oil prices spiked following Iranian attacks in the Middle East, stoking inflation fears and stronger dollar amid weakening rate-cut expectation.
* ECB holds its key rate at 2% * Policymakers expect rate hike discussion in April. * Move seen as more likely in June. * Lagarde says central bank well positioned. By Francesco Canepa and Balazs Koranyi.
Morgan Stanley (MS) on Thursday joined Goldman Sachs and Barclays in pushing back its forecast for the U.S. Federal Reserve's next interest rate cut to September from June after the central bank flagged inflationary risks amid the Middle East conflict.
* Fed and BoC keep interest rates on hold amid inflation concerns. * Trump considers deploying troops to Middle East. * Oil rises over $110 a barrel after Iran strikes Middle East energy facilities. By Noel John. Gold prices fell to a more-than-one-month low on Thursday, weighed down by a firm dollar and a hawkish Federal Reserve, which limited hopes for near-term interest rate cuts.
The Bank of Japan kept interest rates steady on Thursday but warned that rising oil costs from the Middle East conflict could fuel underlying inflation, signalling caution over mounting price pressures.
The Bank of Japan kept interest rates steady on Thursday but warned that rising oil costs from the Middle East conflict could fuel underlying inflation, signalling caution over mounting price pressures.
S&P: * S&P: HONDA MOTOR DOWNGRADED TO 'BBB+' ON EARNINGS DOWNTURN; OUTLOOK STABLE. * S&P: HONDA MOTOR'S PERFORMANCE WILL DETERIORATE SIGNIFICANTLY IN NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS ON EV-RELATED LOSSES AND TAKE TIME TO RECOVER.
In general the bond market is volatile, and fixed income securities carry interest rate risk. (As interest rates rise, bond prices usually fall, and vice versa. This effect is usually more pronounced for longer-term securities.) Fixed income securities also carry inflation risk and credit and default risks for both issuers and counterparties. Unlike individual bonds, most bond funds do not have a maturity date, so avoiding losses caused by price volatility by holding them until maturity is not possible.
Lower-quality debt securities generally offer higher yields, but also involve greater risk of default or price changes due to potential changes in the credit quality of the issuer. Any fixed income security sold or redeemed prior to maturity may be subject to loss.
Before investing, consider the funds' investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. Contact Fidelity for a prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus containing this information. Read it carefully.
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