Weekly Round Up
The Federal Reserve and the Bank of England are both taking the same stance on interest rate policy, in the UK rates are on hold at 0.1%. This came as a relief to investors who looked to be on edge earlier in the week, anticipating an interest rate rise.
London markets reacted well, the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 closed 0.3% up and 0.1% respectively on Thursday evening.
Markets across Europe were higher following the Federal Reserve statement, despite vaccine rates slowing down and Covid-19 cases surging in some regions.
German automotive manufacturer VW announced ambitious plans to become fully electric by 2025, boosting their share price by 20% (Monday open to Thursday close).
There was positive news for the AstraZeneca vaccine, following the safety backing announcement. The CAC 40 gained 0.1%, while shares in Milan were up 0.3%.
Oil prices have declined consistently this week, now trading at $63.4 per barrel.
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