The bear and bull statues outside the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Picture: BLOOMBERG/ALEX KRAUSWorld stocks eased from the previous session’s record highs while the dollar reached its highest in eight days on Thursday, after hawkish remarks from a senior US Federal Reserve official.
US stock index futures — the S&P 500 e-minis — rose 0.17%. US stocks closed mostly lower on Wednesday after the Fed remarks, with the S&P 500 receding 0.46% from a record high after data signalled a slowdown in jobs growth in July. Markets are looking for clues on any possible future UK rate rises, particularly as two policymakers have broken ranks to say the time for tighter policy might be nearing.
The dollar was steady against an index of currencies after hitting an eight-day high of 92.352. It was up 0.1% at 109.57 yen, while the euro gained 0.1% to $1.1848.