S&P 500 — US Large Cap Index
FTSE 100 — UK Blue Chips
Euro Stoxx 50 — Eurozone Leaders
DAX 40 — German Equities
CAC 40 — French Market Index
Nikkei 225 — Japan Benchmark
Hang Seng — Hong Kong Index
Shanghai Composite — China Mainland
ASX 200 — Australian Market
TSX Composite — Canada Index
Nifty 50 — India Large Cap
STI Index — Singapore Market
KOSPI — South Korea Index
Bovespa — Brazil Equities
JSE Top 40 — South Africa Index
IPC Index — Mexico MarketSterling edged back toward $1.36 at the end of a volatile week that nonetheless put sterling on track for its sharpest weekly decline against the dollar since late October, driven by a mix of political turbulence and a more dovish-than-expected message from the Bank of England. Sterling came under pressure as political uncertainty flared on Thursday, with questions raised over the durability of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership following his appointment of Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US, a move that drew scrutiny due to Mandelson’s past links to Jeffrey Epstein. On the policy front, the BoE left interest rates unchanged but surprised markets with a narrow 5–4 vote to hold. Four MPC members supported an immediate 25 bp cut, citing expectations that inflation will fall back toward the 2% target from April. The Bank noted that risks from persistent inflation have eased, while downside risks from weaker demand and a softening labor market have become more pronounced.
