European markets opened lower on Friday as investors monitored political turmoil in the US and monetary policy decisions from major economies.
The United States was plunged into fresh political uncertainty late Thursday, after the failure of a Trump-backed spending bill that would have averted a government shutdown.
Dozens of Republican lawmakers voted against a deal to fund the government for three months and suspend the US debt ceiling for two years, meaning a partial government shutdown will begin on Friday night.
Elsewhere, China kept its key interest rate steady on Friday, in line with expectations. The move came in the same month that top Beijing officials vowed to step up policy easing measures.
The latest developments from the People's Bank of China come in the same week as monetary policy updates from the Federal Reserve and the Bank of England.
On Wednesday, the Fed announced a 25 basis point cut to its key interest rate, while the Bank of England kept policy unchanged at its own meeting on Thursday.
Although the Bank of England's decision had been widely anticipated, divisions in the vote and Governor Andrew Bailey's comments about the economic impact of the newly elected Labour government's budget rattled markets, sending the British pound tumbling and yields on 10-year UK government bonds rising.
Russian policymakers are due to update their monetary policy on Friday.
Source: CNBC
Stocks in the US closed near the flatline on Friday as investors weighed President Trump's push for higher tariffs on the European Union against strong economic data and corporate earnings. The S&...
The S&P 500 briefly touched an all-time high before hovering flat in the afternoon session, while the Nasdaq dipped 0.2% as investors weighed strong economic data against latest batch of corporate...
The S&P 500 rose 0.2% and the Nasdaq gained 0.4% on Friday (July 18), extending gains after both indexes closed at record highs the previous day. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average hovere...
The STOXX 50 gained 0.4% and the STOXX 600 rose 0.3% on Friday, as investors closely monitored corporate earnings and news, while staying on edge for any signs of progress in trade negotiations betwee...
Australian equities notched a record high as Asia-Pacific markets tracked Wall Street gains on the back of strong U.S. economic data reports and a slew of better-than-expected corporate earnings. Aus...
The U.S. dollar slipped against the euro on Friday but held on to weekly gains, as investors weighed expected Federal Reserve policy amid signs that tariffs may be starting to increase some inflation pressures and as U.S. President Donald Trump...
Former U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on members of the BRICS group of nations on Friday, warning the alliance would quickly collapse if it ever becomes a significant economic force. "When I heard about this group from...
Stocks in the US closed near the flatline on Friday as investors weighed President Trump's push for higher tariffs on the European Union against strong economic data and corporate earnings. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 finished mostly muted near...
The Producer Price Index (PPI) for final demand in the US rose 2.3% annually in June, according to data published by the US Bureau of Labor...
The U.S. central bank will probably need to leave interest rates where they are for a while longer to ensure inflation stays low in the face of...
Unemployment claims fell 7,000 to 221,000 in the week ending July 12, compared with the median estimate of 233,000, according to Labor Department...
Asia-Pacific markets fell after U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he had struck a preliminary trade agreement with Indonesia, which will...