Advertisement
UK markets closed
  • FTSE 100

    8,139.83
    +60.97 (+0.75%)
     
  • FTSE 250

    19,824.16
    +222.18 (+1.13%)
     
  • AIM

    755.28
    +2.16 (+0.29%)
     
  • GBP/EUR

    1.1679
    +0.0022 (+0.19%)
     
  • GBP/USD

    1.2495
    -0.0016 (-0.13%)
     
  • Bitcoin GBP

    51,130.02
    -597.18 (-1.15%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    1,383.71
    -12.82 (-0.95%)
     
  • S&P 500

    5,100.13
    +51.71 (+1.02%)
     
  • DOW

    38,234.72
    +148.92 (+0.39%)
     
  • CRUDE OIL

    83.65
    +0.08 (+0.10%)
     
  • GOLD FUTURES

    2,350.10
    +7.60 (+0.32%)
     
  • NIKKEI 225

    37,934.76
    +306.28 (+0.81%)
     
  • HANG SENG

    17,651.15
    +366.61 (+2.12%)
     
  • DAX

    18,161.01
    +243.73 (+1.36%)
     
  • CAC 40

    8,088.24
    +71.59 (+0.89%)
     

Morning MoneyBeat Europe: Equities Stable Ahead of Fed

Please feel free to send this email to friends and colleagues and include this link so they can sign up to receive it for free too http://on.wsj.com/MoneyBeatEuropeSignup

Follow us on Twitter @WSJMoneyBeat.

European stocks rose Wednesday, cheered by a further stabilization in Chinese equity markets, but trading volumes were expected to remain thin and investors cautious ahead of a policy statement from the U.S. Federal Reserve later in the day.

The Stoxx Europe 600 added 0.6% early in the session, building on Tuesday’s 1.1% gain. China’s shares oscillated between gains and losses Wednesday as officials stepped up efforts to calm markets on the back of three days of selling that has knocked 11% off the value of China’s main stock index and severely unnerved global investors.

ADVERTISEMENT

Gains in Europe were also spurred by some of stronger-than-expected corporate earnings, from the likes of British American Tobacco and Barclays.

Later in the session, investors’ attention will focus on news from the Federal Reserve. Chairwoman Janet Yellen isn't scheduled to host a news conference and the Fed won't publish any fresh economic projections, but officials could give some hints about the economy’s trajectory and the outlook for policy.

Read our full take on the European markets today here.

-- Josie Cox

Market Snapshot: At 7.45 a.m. GMT, FTSE 100 up 0.75%, CAC 40 up 0.79% and DAX up 0.56%. Nikkei finished Wednesday down 0.1%. Brent crude down 0.79% at $52.88. Gold up 0.03% at $1097. EUR/USD down at $1.1038. Ten-year Treasury yield flat at 2.25%, Bund yield flat at 0.65%, Gilt yield flat at 1.95%.

What You May Have Missed on MoneyBeat

Twitter Soars After User Metrics Meet Expectations : The social media company’s stock is up 7% after hours to $37.30 after Twitter posted second-quarter user growth that met the top end of analyst forecasts.

S&P 500 Earnings Show Weakest First Half Since 2009 : Profit growth for the S&P 500 companies is at its weakest point since 2009. That’s because, in fact, there isn’t any profit growth.

5 Things to Watch at This Week's Fed Meeting : Fed officials may drop fresh clues about the economy’s trajectory and, by extension, the outlook for policy. Here are five things to watch when the Fed issues its policy statement on Wednesday.

New Bond Trading Platforms Not a 'Big Bang' on Wall Street : A host of new electronic fixed-income trading platforms have cropped up in recent years, aiming to connect buyers and sellers in a liquidity-challenged corporate-bond market. But new research from Greenwich Associates suggests that adoption and use of the new platforms has been spotty thus far.

From The Wall Street Journal

Barclays Scraps Dividend Target Despite Rise in Profit: Barclays on Wednesday scrapped its dividend target to retain capital as part of a fresh effort by Executive Chairman John McFarlane to reshape the beleaguered British bank.

GM, Ford, Flourish Out of the Limelight: Rising U.S. demand for pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles, spurred by lower gasoline prices, is propelling domestic margins at General Motors and Ford Motor to levels more typical of German luxury car makers.

Turkey Puts NATO in Tight Spot: Turkey drew NATO deeper into the Middle East conflict on Tuesday, while threatening to further inflame regional turmoil by signaling an end to three years of peace talks with Kurdish separatists.

New Gains for Syrian Rebels Pose Challenge to Assad: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad lost more territory on Tuesday to Islamist insurgents and Kurdish militias, bolstering Turkey’s push to create a rebel-controlled buffer zone along the two countries’ shared border.

Solvay to Buy Cytec Industries for $5.5 Billion: Belgium-based chemicals company Solvay on Wednesday said it is buying U.S. counterpart Cytec Industries for $5.5 billion to boost its product offering.

RBS to Raise $2.2 Billion From Citizens Stake Sale: Royal Bank of Scotland Group said Wednesday it plans to raise $2.2 billion from the sale of 86 million shares in Citizens Financial Group via a public offering.