European markets opened lower on Friday as investors reacted to disappointing data from the region's two largest economies.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 fell 0.18% after the opening bell, following an unexpected contraction in UK GDP and key export data from Germany.
The UK economy contracted by about 0.1% on a month-on-month basis, the ONS said on Friday, with officials attributing the decline to a drop in output. Economists polled by Reuters had projected a 0.1% rise in GDP in October.
On Thursday, the European Central Bank cut its main interest rate by 25 basis points, marking its fourth and final rate cut this year. Policymakers have also hinted at the possibility of further cuts in 2025.
The Swiss National Bank also cut interest rates by a larger-than-anticipated 50 basis points on Thursday, while Denmark's central bank announced a 25 basis point cut.
Central bank watchers now turn their attention to next week and interest rate decisions from the US Federal Reserve and the Bank of England.
Source: CNBC
Tested EN...
Asian stock markets weakened for the second consecutive day, indicating that the initial rally that had been "speedy" at the start of the year is starting to lose steam. At the same time, US governmen...
US stocks were mixed on Wednesday as investors weighed uneven economic data against expectations for eventual Federal Reserve easing, with the S&P 500 easing 0.2% and the Dow Jones sliding 0.8% fr...
European stocks were in mixed territory on Wednesday morning, as regional market jitters grow over U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to annex Greenland. The pan-European Stoxx 600 was little chang...
Asian stock markets weakened slightly on Wednesday after posting their best start to the year in history. The decline was driven by a decline in Japanese stocks amid escalating tensions with China. Th...
Oil prices stabilized on Thursday (February 12th), as the market reassigned a risk premium to US-Iran tensions despite US inventory data showing swelling domestic supplies. This movement confirms one thing: geopolitical headlines are still more...
Gold prices weakened slightly on Thursday (February 12th), as more solid US employment data reduced market confidence in an imminent Federal Reserve interest rate cut. The strong employment data prompted market participants to shift expectations of...
The Hang Seng Index reversed its downward trend in Hong Kong on Thursday (February 12th), weakening by around 0.9% to around 27,000 after a strong session earlier. This decline halted the momentum of the short term rally, as investors began to...