Stocks up on hope of U.K. stimulus, eurozone Brexit resilience
LONDON - Stock markets turned higher on Friday after surveys suggested the eurozone economy is proving resilient to the uncertainty surrounding Britain's Brexit vote. A big drop in business activity in the U.K. raised expectations of more central bank stimulus there.
Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.4 percent to 6,728 and Germany's DAX was up 0.1 percent to 10,163. France's CAC 40 gained 0.3 percent to 4,388.
U.S. futures indicate a positive opening on Wall Street: Dow and S&P futures were both up 0.2 percent.
A survey of services and manufacturing in the 19-country eurozone declined only modestly in July, suggesting the currency bloc has not suffered much damage so far from Britain's vote to leave the European Union. The contrary was found in an equivalent survey of business activity in Britain, which indicated the country's economy was shrinking at its fastest pace since early 2009.
Edoardo Campanella, economist at UniCredit, said that while the Brexit vote may yet affect the eurozone with some time lag, Friday's report is "consistent with our view that most of the economic damages will be concentrated in the U.K."
Britain's survey, on the other hand, was "truly horrible," according to Howard Archer, economist at IHS Global Insight. It "boosts the case for the Bank of England to come up with a substantial package of measures at its Aug. 4 meeting."
Earlier, Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 1.1 percent to 16,627.25 after the Bank of Japan governor, Haruhiko Kuroda, was cited ruling out direct cash injections to the economy. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index shed 0.2 percent to 21,964.27. China's Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.9 percent at 3,012.82. Australia's S&P ASX 200 slipped 0.3 percent to 5,498.20. South Korea's KOSPI edged down 0.1 percent at 2,010.34. Southeast Asian markets were down.
U.S. crude shed 6 cents to $44.69 in New York. On Thursday, it sank $1. Brent crude, the global benchmark, rose 4 cents to $46.24, after falling 97 cents on Thursday.
The pound plunged against the dollar on the prospect of more stimulus from the Bank of England. It was down 1 percent at $1.3104, from $1.3280 the previous day. The dollar rose to 106.08 yen from 105.76 and the euro fell to $1.1017 from $1.1027.