(Updates prices, adds M.video share increase)
MOSCOW, Feb 8 (Reuters) - The Russian rouble firmed to a more than two-week high against the dollar on Monday, helped by rising oil prices and generally more positive sentiment that outweighed concerns about possible new sanctions over jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
The rouble spearheaded an emerging market rally, with stocks trading near record highs on optimism over a global economic recovery thanks to steady vaccine rollouts.
By 1546 GMT, the rouble was 0.5% stronger against the dollar at 74.27, its highest since Jan. 22.
Against the euro, it strengthened 0.5% to 89.52, earlier hitting its strongest since Jan. 21 at 89.2500.
(Repeats story from Friday without changes to text)
1/GREENBACK GAIN The dollar bounce is confounding some who bet on a multi-year downtrend. Fed officials’ bullish prognoses for 2021 growth and Democrats’ determination to push through big-time stimulus may herald more gains.
U.S. data hints at an economic rebound gathering steam jobless benefit claims have declined three weeks straight, factory orders beat expectations and fourth-quarter corporate earnings bucked earlier gloomy forecasts. Inflation numbers on Wednesday will show if core CPI can continue to top expectations.
But dollar gains are euro woes. Comprising over half the dollar’s index, the euro has been pressured by central bankers’ jawboning and a sluggish vaccination rollout.
By Reuters Staff
2 Min Read
Feb 8 (Reuters) - Sri Lankan shares closed lower on Monday, dragged by losses in financial and industrial stocks. The benchmark stock index ended down 2% at 8,113.26. It fell 2% in the past week and is up 19.8% for the year so far. Trading volume on the CSE All Share Index fell to 142.8 million from 110 million in the previous session. Conglomerate Lanka Orix Leasing Company and Vallibel One Plc were the top two drags to the benchmark, falling 6.8% each. Foreign investors were net sellers, offloading 444 million Sri Lankan rupees ($2.28 million) worth of shares, according to exchange data. Equity market turnover was 4.80 billion rupees, exchange data showed.
By Reuters Staff
(Adds Aer Lingus statement)
DUBLIN, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Ireland’s sovereign wealth fund’s domestic investments in 2020 were almost exclusively in businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including a 150 million euro ($180 million) loan to IAG’s Irish airline Aer Lingus.
The Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) was established in 2014 to invest in supporting economic activity and employment in Ireland. It was mandated last May to invest up to 2 billion euros directly in larger firms hit by the pandemic via equity, debt and hybrid instruments.
It said on Monday that 90% of the 430 million euros invested in Ireland in 2020 was for this purpose, mostly so-called “stabilisation investments”, including the three-year Aer Lingus loan and 40 million euros committed to the Dublin Airport Authority.
Banks still cautious about rise in bond yields Yen-hedged 10-yr U.S. Treasuries yield more than 30-yr JGBs Insurers still not attracted by U.S. bonds
TOKYO, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Japanese investors have stepped up buying in foreign bonds after hopes of a massive U.S. stimulus boosted their yields, but many of them are still cautious, betting their bear trend could continue for a while.
Data from the Japanese Ministry of Finance showed on Monday Japanese investors bought 2.49 trillion yen ($23.6 billion) of foreign bonds last month, marking an eight straight month of their net buying.
A large part of it, however, has been driven by trust banks, which, analysts think, reflects flows from big public pension funds such as the Government Pension Investment Fund, rebalancing from foreign stocks.