Indicators were positive for Europe as well with futures for Eurostoxx 50 up 0.2%
Global stock markets and Wall Street futures rose Wednesday after traders shrugged off higher US inflation and a decline in Japanese machinery orders. London and Paris opened higher while Shanghai, Hong Kong and Seoul rose. Tokyo was off less than 0.5%. On Tuesday, Wall Street's benchmark S&P 500 index climbed 0.3% to a new high, propelled by tech and consumer stocks on optimism the vaccine rollout will allow business activity to return to normal. Johnson & Johnson fell 1.3% after US regulators suspended use of its single-dose vaccine to investigate possibly dangerous blood clots. The US government reported consumer prices increased by a stronger-than-expected 0.6% in March, the fastest rate since 2012. Higher inflation normally fuels fears interest rates might be raised to keep prices stable, but the Federal Reserve has said the economy will be allowed to run hot to ensure a recovery is in place. Traders took the well-telegraphed inflation pick-up' in stride, Stephen Innes of
Stocks in Europe reached record highs, buoyed by optimism in Britain over easing lockdown restrictions, while a benign outlook for US interest rates was set to push Wall Street to new heights
Benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury notes last yielded 1.6207% after reaching 14-month highs last week.
The euro touched a one-month high of $1.2183
MSCI's All Country World Index, which tracks shares across 49 countries, was down 0.4 per cent after the start of European trade
World shares were mostly lower Thursday after a mixed session on Wall Street, where losses by technology and industrial companies offset other gains. Benchmarks fell in Tokyo and Hong Kong but were flat in Paris and London. Shanghai advanced after reopening following the Lunar New Year holiday. Optimism that rollouts of coronavirus vaccines will set the stage for stronger economic growth in the second half of this year has been pushing shares higher. But expectations of a post-pandemic recovery also have resurrected concerns over inflation that could prompt governments and central banks to pull back on stimulus. Germany's DAX rose 0.2% to 13,934.02 and the CAC40 in Paris was virtually unchanged at 5,765.36. Britain's FTSE was also almost unchanged, at 6,712.47. US futures fell, with the contract for the S&P 500 down 0.3% and that for the Dow industrials 0.1% lower. In Asian trading, the Shanghai Composite index gained 0.6% to 3,675.36 and the S&P/ASX 200 was flat, at 6,885.90.
Recovery hopes in Britain sent sterling to 2-1/2 year highs, just short of $1.40 against the dollar
Global shares ticked up on Monday as a source said US President Donald Trump signed into law a $2.3 trillion pandemic aid and spending package he had until now refused to sign
The tariffs, reportedly targeting Chinese tech, electronics and telecoms, were revealed by sources hours after Trump abruptly fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson
As euro zone bond yields rallied, euro surged to as high as $1.1435
Sterling rose more than 1% versus the dollar and euro after Theresa May offered lawmakers some scrutiny of the process of leaving the EU
Risk sentiment had benefited on Friday from reports that Deutsche Bank was negotiating a much smaller fine with the US DoJ
The dollar index, which tracks the currency against six major peers, slipped 0.14 per cent to 94.721