Bond yield retreat boosts tech shares Bitcoin hits record high, dollar weakens
TOKYO, April 14 (Reuters) - Global equity markets rose to a fresh record high on Wednesday as bond yields eased after data showed U.S. inflation was not rising wildly.
Most Asia-Pacific share indexes followed Wall Street higher, with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng leading gains in the region, while benchmark U.S. Treasury yields continued their decline, marking a fresh three-week low.
Japan bucked the trend, with the Nikkei falling 0.4% as rising coronavirus cases raised doubts about an economic reopening with 100 days to go until Tokyo is scheduled to host the Olympics.
By Reuters Staff
2 Min Read
FRANKFURT (Reuters) -Euro zone citizens expect the European Central Bank’s proposed digital euro to be private, safe and cheap, an ECB survey showed on Wednesday.
FILE PHOTO: The European Central Bank (ECB) logo in Frankfurt, Germany, January 23, 2020. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski//File Photo
The ECB is working on creating an electronic form of cash to complement banknotes and coins in a bid to stem competition from cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Tether and Facebook’s proposed Diem.
An ECB poll showed that privacy when making payments, a key feature of cash that some fear will get lost when switching to an electronic means of payment, was the number one priority for both private individuals and professionals.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he had not had any contact with former PM David Cameron following criticism of Cameron's lobbying for failed finance firm Greensill Capital, saying he could not remember when he last spoke to "Dave".
5 Min Read
(Reuters) -JPMorgan Chase & Co’s first-quarter results on Wednesday laid bare the challenge big banks face in this phase of the pandemic, where stimulus programs have left individuals and businesses in good financial shape but so flush with cash that few of them need loans.
FILE PHOTO: A J.P. Morgan logo is seen in New York City, U.S., January 10, 2017. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith/File Photo
The biggest U.S. bank sailed past Wall Street expectations by reporting a nearly 400% increase in quarterly profit. The gains came from JPMorgan releasing more than $5 billion it had set aside to cover potential coronavirus loan losses that have not materialized, as well as a continued boom in capital-markets activity.
3 Min Read
(Reuters) -JPMorgan Chase & Co’s earnings jumped almost 400% in the first quarter, blowing past estimates as the largest U.S. bank released more than $5 billion in reserves it had set aside to cover coronavirus-driven loan defaults.
FILE PHOTO: A J.P. Morgan logo is seen in New York City, U.S., January 10, 2017. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith/File Photo
The bank, widely seen as a barometer of the health of the broader U.S. economy, said consumer spending in its businesses had returned to pre-pandemic levels and was up 14% versus the first quarter of 2019.
The results, helped by favorable comparisons to last year, also gained from a 57% jump in investment banking revenue.